SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Augusta Jaguars opened play in their third non-conference tournament of the season at the Mid-South Classic and split day one with a 1-0 loss to Southern Indiana before run-ruling Saint Joseph's College 11-2 in five innings at Tyger River Stadium.

The Jags (6-12) met Southern Indiana and Saint Joseph's College (Ind.) in day one action to begin the non-conference tournament.

In game one, USI took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI single to the outfield for the first and only run of the game. USI had five hits and the Jags four, coming from Auburn Balcorta in the two hole and Casey Rowland, Erin Holcomb, and Kristen Bagley batting five, six, seven.

Junior Kristen Mills pitched her first complete-game performance of the season, allowing five hits for one run and striking out three. Haylee Smith grabbed the win for USI in 7.0 innings.

In game two against the Saint Joseph's College Pumas, the Jags ended the contest early with an 11-2 run-rule victory. Thanks to 13 hits overall, Augusta prevailed past the Pumas with a huge seven-run inning in the fifth.

Sophomore Lindsey Stokes, who went 3-3 in game two, plated junior Ashley Benton with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, but SJC tied it 1-1 in the bottom of the first. A double in the second gave the Pumas the lead that wouldn't last long.

Jaguar senior left-handed pitcher Haley Birkle took over the mound for freshman Alannah Long in the second inning and struck out two batters looking to escape the inning down 2-1.

Stokes and sophomore Carolyn Edwards reached to start the third inning for Augusta and senior Casey Rowland hit a towering game-changing homer for a 4-2 swing. The Jags scored seven in the fifth inning and Birkle struck out two more to close out the fifth inning for the game.

Birkle (2-4) had six strikeouts to get her second win of the year in 3.1 innings. Freshman Alannah Long logged 1.1 innings of work in her first start of her young career.

Augusta plays day two of the Mid-South Classic on Saturday, Feb. 27 when they meet Queens (N.C.) at 12:00 p.m. and Catawba at 4:00 p.m.

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