MOBILE, Ala. ? Ryan Bohanan hit a go-ahead, three-run home run, and four University of South Alabama pitchers combined to hold the University of Arkansas-Little Rock to three hits in Sunday’s 6-2 win at Stanky Field. With the win, the Jags won their first Sun Belt Conference series of the season.
“This was a pressure game because the loser of this game was going to be in the cellar,” head coach Steve Kittrell said. “Little Rock battled, and I see why they beat Florida Atlantic twice and FIU once ? they’re not a bad club. We had to battle tooth and nail to finally win our first series, and I hope it’s the first of many.”
USA got on the board in the second inning when Bohanan doubled, advanced to third on Sean Laird’s groundout and came home on a sacrifice fly from Derek O'Reilly. However, the Trojans answered with a pair of runs in the third against Jag starter Matt Jackson.
Jackson returned to the USA pitching rotation after sitting out last week with an injury. He allowed two runs, one of which was earned, on three hits and a pair of walks in 4.0 innings. Working on a pitch count, Jackson struck out five, but left the game after allowing a leadoff single in the fifth.
D.D. Hanks came on in relief for the second time this season. He struck out Nate Brown and Landis Wilson grounded into a double play to end the inning with UALR leading 2-1.
Clint Reynolds walked leading off the fifth, Zach Grichor followed with a single and David Doss connected on a 1-2 pitch for a RBI single; he had RBI singles in all three games of the weekend series.
Bohanan then stepped to the plate and hit the first pitch he saw over the left field wall for his first homer of the season. The three-run blast gave USA a 5-2 lead, and the Jag bullpen took care of the rest.
Hanks worked scoreless sixth and seventh innings. He picked up the win by facing only nine batters in 3.0 hitless innings; it was his first win since notching a victory in his first appearance as a Jag on Feb. 26, 2008.
USA added an insurance run in the sixth when Jake Overstreet led off with a double and came home to score when Anthony Pryor threw the ball away trying to get the lead runner on O’Reilly’s sacrifice bunt.
Jag reliever Phillip Byrd walked the leadoff batter in the eighth, but he rebounded to get the next two outs before hitting Tim Emmons. With two outs and the potential tying run on deck, Greg Johnson came out of the bullpen and got out of the jam when Matt Apfel grounded out to second.
Johnson hit the first batter he faced in the ninth, but that runner was quickly erased as Jared Powell hit a grounder right back to the mound, and Johnson began a 1-6-3 double play. Eric Hanlon grounded out to third to end the game and give Johnson his second save of the season.
Bohanan finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, while Grichor went 2-for-4 and Overstreet went 2-for-3 and drew a walk.
USA returns to the diamond Tuesday at 6 p.m. to face in-state rival Auburn at Stanky Field. The Jags will wear 1970s throwback jerseys, and those jerseys will be auctioned off on www.usajaguars.com after the game.
Notes: Sean Laird’s fourth-inning single extended his hitting streak to a season-best seven games ... David Doss singled in the fifth, giving him a five-game hitting streak. The single was hit No. 275 of his career, moving him to within two hits of tying Mike Mordecai for the all-time lead at USA. Doss also had RBI singles in all three games of the series ... Derek O'Reilly went 0-for-1 to snap his career-long, nine-game hitting streak, but he has reached base safely in 12 consecutive games ... USA now leads the all-time series with UALR 50-9, and the Jags have never dropped a series to the Trojans.
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).
