Official Box Score
MOBILE, Ala. -- Ryne Jernigan and David Doss each homered and Lance Baxter gave a solid effort from the mound to lift South Alabama to a 9-6 victory over Western Kentucky Friday night at Stanky Field. The game was the conference opener for the Jaguars, who improve to 10-5 overall on the season.
South Alabama, which started last year 0-3 in league play, wasted no time this season, bolting to a 5-0 lead after two innings. With one out in the first, Clint Toomey walked, then advanced 90 feet on an infield single by David Doss. Jernigan ripped a 2-2 pitch to center field to give the Jags a 1-0 lead. In the second, Chris Davis and Derek O'Reilly singled before Ray Kruml walked to load the bases. A sacrifice fly by Toomey made the score 2-0 before Jernigan capped the four-run frame with a shot over the left field fence.
Western Kentucky (7-6, 1-3) answered back in the third with three runs, first on an RBI single by Matt Hightower, then on a sacrifice fly by Chad Cregar. The third run came in on a double to left center by Wade Gaynor. A bases-loaded walk to Matt Rice in the top of the fifth made the score 5-4, but the Jaguars struck right back on one swing of Doss' bat. The junior hit a 2-1 pitch over the wall in right center to plate Toomey and Kruml for an 8-4 lead.
Ryan McCrory doubled in a run in the seventh before the Hilltoppers added two in the eighth on a home run by Scott Kaskie.
Baxter (1-3) surrendered 10 hits, but allowed just four runs over 5.2 innings. Miles Ethridge worked out of a jam in the sixth before giving the mound to closer Greg Johnson in the eighth. With runners on second and third and one out, Johnson coaxed two groundouts to earn his third save of the season. Bart Carter (1-2) took the loss for the Hilltoppers, surrendering seven runs in 4.2 innings.
"I thought Lance did a good job before going over 100 pitches in the sixth," Head Coach Steve Kittrell said. "Our bullpen did the job when it had to, as Ethridge was effective and Greg got us out of the eighth. Both clubs swung the bats well, with the teams combining for 27 hits."
Game two of the series takes place tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m.
