MOBILE, Ala. ? If the rest of Matt Jackson’s career at the University of South Alabama is as strong as his first start, the Jaguar record books will need some rewriting.
Making his first start for the Jags after transferring from Chipola Community College, Jackson held Mercer to just two hits and collected 10 strikeouts in 7.1 innings, leading USA to a 9-2 victory in its 2009 season opener.
“I just tried to stay ahead in the count and fill up the zone,” Jackson said. “The guys looked at me as a leader, so I went out there and tried to set the tempo for the season.”
Jackson took control of the game early, striking out two hitters in each of his first four innings of work, and didn’t have to wait long for the offense to put a crooked number on the board. Jake Overstreet drove in the Jags’ first run of 2009 with a single in the second inning off Mercer starter Lath Guyer. He came around to score after Derek O'Reilly singled and Chris Davis delivered a two-run double to give USA a 4-0 lead.
Another junior college transfer, Zach Grichor, put on a show in his first game with the Jags. Grichor went 3-for-4 with two runs, one RBI and a stolen base.
“For the first game, I couldn’t ask for much more,” said USA head coach Steve Kittrell, who notched the 999th win of his 27-year coaching career. “It was a great first game for South Alabama, but we’ve got a long day ahead of us with Liberty twice tomorrow and Ole Miss on Sunday. We’ve got to take them one at a time.”
Davis provided Jackson with even more insurance when he led off the sixth inning with a triple, then came around to score on Grichor’s single that chased Guyer from the game after 5.1 innings. Two batters later, Nathaniel Lami gave USA a 6-0 lead when he brought in Grichor with his first collegiate hit.
Along with Grichor and Lami, Adam Heisler also made his first start at USA. While he was the last one to collect his first hit as a Jag, Heisler made his base knock count when he drilled a two-run homer off the right field foul pole in the bottom of the eighth.
David Doss went 2-for-4 with a double and a run, and O’Reilly went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI. Doss’ double was the 51st of his career, putting him in a four-way tie for second place in South Alabama history. He is tied with Luis Gonzalez, Ryan Mulhern and I.B. Stacy, and trails only Tyrone Dixon, who collected 54 doubles as a Jag.
USA returns to the field to take on Liberty at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday before closing the 24th-annual Coca-Cola Classic with a Sunday showdown against Ole Miss.
Notes: Ole Miss beat Liberty 6-5 in the first game of the day ... Doss reached base safely in his 21st consecutive game ... Ryan Bohanan had a nine-game hitting streak snapped ... When the Jags take the first Saturday, Kittrell aims to become the 50th NCAA coach to reach the 1,000-win milestone ... Freshman Brad Hook drew a walk, and later came around to score, after he came on as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning ... After going 10-0 last season at Chipola CC, and not registering any decisions in his freshman season at LSU, Jackson is now 11-0 in his collegiate career ... Another freshman, Phillip Byrd, worked the ninth inning on the mound for the Jags ... He allowed a solo home run to the first batter he faced, breaking up the shutout, but settled down to record the final three outs.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
