South Alabama defeated Texas State 3-1 at Jaguar Field on April 3, evening the softball series and holding off a late rally by the visiting team.
The game is significant as it marked South Alabama’s first official sellout of the spring and showcased strong performances from several players. Gracie Dees led the Jaguars with her eighth multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI.
Head coach Becky Clark said, “Scape (Sydney Scapin) gave us a great start tonight. She kept Texas State off balance and got a lot of swing and misses. They are a very good offensive team, so to hold them down was impressive. Offensively, we did some good things and had some timely hitting. I thought we missed out on a few opportunities and could have pushed a few more across to extend the lead, but it ended up being enough. Tomorrow is a big game to decide the series.”
Key moments included South Alabama scoring two runs in the third inning after Brooklynn Bockhaus walked and Dees doubled. Virginia Mambelli drove in one run with an RBI ground out while Kara Wine added another with an RBI single after a nine-pitch at-bat. In the fourth inning, Presley Lively reached base on a bunt single before Bockhaus advanced to third on an error; she then scored on Dees’ sacrifice fly.
Pitcher Sydney Scapin allowed only three hits and three walks over six-plus innings while striking out eight batters for South Alabama (24-16). Ryley Harrison secured her fourth save of the season by closing out Texas State’s seventh-inning rally attempt.
The Jaguars highlighted several player milestones following this win: Mambelli has reached base safely in nine straight games; Bockhaus extended her career-best streak of reaching base to four games; Lively has reached safely in 11 of her last 12 games; Harrison’s four saves this spring now tie for second-most in program history for a single season.
South Alabama will face Texas State again Saturday at noon for the deciding game in their series.
