Official Box Score
MOBILE, Ala -- Sophomore Lance Baxter, pressed into a start because of an illness, allowed just five hits and two runs in seven innings and the Jaguars hit three home runs Saturday in a 9-2 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette at Stanky Field. The win snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Ragin' Cajuns.
Baxter was notified about 35 minutes before the game that he was to take the mound in place of Kevin Nabors, the intended starter. He allowed a two-out solo home run in the first inning, but retired 19 of the next 30 batters he faced to improve to 3-4. Baxter walked three and struck out five, with one of the free passes coming intentionally.
Ryan Bohanan had three hits for the Jaguars (22-17, 9-8), while Ray Kruml had a pair. Each of their hit totals included a home run, while Jake Overstreet also homered.
Louisiana-Lafayette (19-19, 9-11) jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Scott Hawkins' home run in the first and a fielder's choice in the third, but South Alabama evened the game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Overstreet hit a 1-1 pitch over the left field fence, then Kruml hit a ball to the gap in right center. Ragin' Cajun right fielder Nolan Gisclair tried to make a spectacular catch just as he slammed into the wall, allowing the Jaguars' fastest runner to come all the way around for an inside-the-park-home run.
One inning later, Bohanan led off with a solo home run to right field, putting the Jaguars ahead to stay, 3-2. They added two runs in the fifth on an single up the middle by David Doss and broke the game open in the eighth with four more runs, two of which were unearned. The first run scored when a sacrifice attempt was thrown away by the pitcher, then Bunky Kateon delivered a two-run single to center. A Clint Toomey double with two outs scored Kateon, making the score 9-2.
"You can't say enough about Lance Baxter," Head Coach Steve Kittrell said. "He did a great job and I tip my cap to him. I was hoping he could go five or six innings because (Louisiana) Lafayette has been pretty good against lefties. The key was his getting the change-up over."
USA closer Greg Johnson came in for the eighth inning, striking out one and allowing a hit, but was pulled in favor of Miles Ethridge in the ninth when the Jags added their last four runs.
South Alabama had lost seven straight to ULL dating back to a 2-0 win in Mobile on March 26, 2006. The teams play the rubber game of the series tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. Little Leaguers and their families and K-12 students and employees and their families will be admitted free as part of K-12 Appreciation Day. Lefty Brandon Sage is expected to start for South Alabama against ULL's Michael Cook.
