Garcia's Shutout Caps Eagle Sun Belt Sweep Of Jaguars

Sunday, May 2

Statesboro

12:30 PM

Georgia Southern University

14-25, 6-14

South Alabama

25-16, 12-8

South Alabama

Georgia Southern

5/2/2021 2:47:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Sophomore hurls her first collegiate shutout, Georgia Southern downs South Alabama 2-0 on Sunday

STATESBORO - Georgia Southern sophomore Aaliyah Garcia hurled her first collegiate shutout, limiting South Alabama to just three hits in the Eagles' 2-0 win over the Jaguars on Sunday, completing the Sun Belt Conference series sweep.

The Eagles move to 14-25 overall and 6-14 in the Sun Belt with the win, while South Alabama falls to 25-16 overall and 12-8 in the Sun Belt. The sweep of the Jaguars is the first for Georgia Southern since joining the Sun Belt in 2015. The Eagles will wrap up the 2021 regular season by traveling to Georgia State for a three-game series in Atlanta, beginning on Thursday, May 6, at 5 p.m.

Georgia Southern pushed across a run in the bottom of the first inning as Ashlynn Gunter singled to lead off the frame, then stole second. Bailee Wilson beat out a ground ball to short for an infield single, and Gunter came home as the throw from first was too high.

What then followed was a spectacular pitcher's duel between the Eagles' Garcia and South Alabama's Olivia Lackie. Each hurler put up a string of zeroes until the sixth, when Allyssah Mullis reached Lackie for a solo home run to double Georgia Southern's lead.

Garcia then worked a 1-2-3 seventh to finish off her first shutout and improve to 6-6 on the season. She gave up just three hits and walked one while striking out five, hurling 99 pitches - 61 for strikes.

"Aaliyah is always going to go out there and give you 110%," Georgia Southern Head Coach Kim Dean said about Garcia's performance on Sunday. "Her head and her heart are about her teammates. Anytime you can shut out an offensive team like South Alabama, or any team, it makes the job a little bit easier for her teammates. She keeps doing her part to help us continue to be better and better."

Lackie (15-8) took the loss for South Alabama, giving up five hits and two runs - one earned - in six innings, walking four and striking out four. The Sun Belt series sweep was the first for Georgia Southern since the Eagles closed out the 2019 season with a three-game sweep of Georgia State to play their way into the 2019 Sun Belt Tournament.

"What an incredible team weekend," Coach Dean said about the sweep. "All facets of our game were really clicking well. We got two outstanding pitching performances from AG [Aaliyah Garcia] and, in general, our staff did phenomenal. We had hitters doing their job, and sometimes you just have to score runs in different ways. I think defensively, we played a solid 20 innings and proteted the ball. Overall, our entire coaching staff is proud of them. I think you're starting to see us put things together, and see the type of team we can be."