MOBILE, Ala. ? University of South Alabama junior Brandon Brown didn’t allow a hit to any of the first 10 batters he faced, and was one strike from securing the victory with the Jags leading 3-2 in the ninth inning Saturday night at Stanky Field.
On an 0-2 pitch, Liberty third baseman Tyler Bream doubled, then came around to score the tying run on a Matt Williams’ single, and the Flames went on to win 4-3 after plating a run with three singles in the 10th inning.
“You’ve got to give Liberty a lot of credit,” head coach Steve Kittrell said. “They’ve come in here and played hard, played really well, and they got some big hits when they had to have them.”
After falling behind 2-0 early when starter Miles Ethridge allowed a pair of solo home runs, the Jags (1-2) rallied to take a 3-2 lead after five innings. Brown came on in relief of Ethridge with two runners on and one out in the sixth inning, and he promptly recorded two strikeouts to escape the jam.
Brown held on to the lead until the ninth, but the Jags were unable to plate any insurance runs off Liberty (2-1) reliever Andrew Wilson, who picked up the win with 5.0 innings of two-hit, shutout relief.
Greg Johnson allowed one run on three hits in the 10th inning, but the Jags had a chance for a rally after Ryan Bohanan drilled a single up the middle to lead off the bottom of the inning. David Doss struck out, and pinch hitter Chris Davis grounded into a double play to end the game.
Bohanan finished the game 3-for-4 with a walk and one RBI, while Jake Overstreet and Adam Heisler recorded two hits apiece for the Jags. Cody Brown led the way for Liberty, going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, and the game-winning RBI single.
Liberty and USA met earlier in the day in a game that wasn’t part of the Coca-Cola Classic. The Flames took that one 5-2 on the back of Mark Swanson, who went 7.2 innings and allowed two runs on four hits. Carter Browning earned the save after escaping a jam in the eighth inning and working around a pair of hits in the ninth.
The Jags committed four errors in the game, helping Liberty get three unearned runs off starter Brandon Sage, who took the loss after allowing just the three unearned runs on three hits in 4.1 innings. Bohanan knocked in both of USA’s runs with a double in the eighth.
USA gets another shot at Kittrell’s 1,000th career win when it returns to action Sunday against Ole Miss at 1 p.m. The Jags can still win the Coca-Cola Classic championship if they’re able to beat the Rebels and Mercer knocks off Liberty in the 10 a.m. game.
Notes: Doss had a 21-game on-base streak snapped when he went 0-for-5 in the nightcap ... Junior pitcher Chris LaGrow made his first appearance of the season when he came on to pinch run for Bohanan in the 10th ... Brown started as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 in the nightcap, his first start at USA after transferring in from Wallace State-Hanceville Community College ... Adam Heisler was replaced by a pinch runner in the fifth inning after tweaking a hamstring ... Mercer defeated Ole Miss 13-11 in Saturday’s second game.
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).
