MOBILE, Ala. ? A record crowd of 4,436 fans watched as the University of South Alabama knocked off 22nd-ranked Alabama 21-16 Wednesday night at Stanky Field.
Jake Overstreet set drilled a three-run home run and a three-run triple ? both in the third inning ? to lead a USA’s 22-hit attack . He doubled in the fifth and had a chance for the cycle in the ninth, but advanced one base too far on a double down the left-field line.
“Jake started kind of cold this season, but he’s really swinging it like he’s capable now,” head coach Steve Kittrell said. “He’s just really hot, and he’s battling with two strikes really well.”
The Jags extended their winning streak to five games while also evening their overall record at 20-20.
Alabama (27-14) shortstop Josh Rutledge went 4-for-5, and he successfully completed the cycle with a ninth-inning single.
The Crimson Tide got on the board in the first inning when Brandon May hit a two-out, three-run homer over the right-field wall. Alabama starter Jimmy Nelson set the Jags down in order in the first, but USA broke out for four runs with two outs in the second, chasing Nelson from the game.
David Doss led off with an infield single, and three batters later Overstreet walked before back-to-back RBI singles from Derek O'Reilly and Chris Davis. Clint Reynolds followed with a two-run double to give the Jags a 4-3 lead.
Alabama regained the lead with a pair of runs in the third, ending starter Chris LaGrow’s night. Rutledge led off with a solo homer, and three batters later May delivered an RBI single to put the Crimson Tide on top 5-4.
Then the Jag bats went to work on their biggest inning in more than five years. Doss again got the rally started with an infield single, and after Ryan Bohanan was hit by a pitch, Overstreet knocked a three-run homer to straightaway center field.
USA added on seven more runs with two outs in the inning. Davis doubled, Reynolds brought him home with a single, then Zach Grichor added a RBI single. Adam Heisler singled, and Doss brought in a run with his second single in the inning.
Bohanan was again hit by a pitch, loading the bases before Matt Drake brought a run home when he drew a walk, and Overstreet knocked a three-run triple to left-center. The Jags led 14-5, and Alabama never got closer than seven runs until scoring six in the ninth.
USA had not scored 10 runs in an inning since plating 12 in the seventh inning of a 25-24 win over Eastern Illinois on March 17, 2004.
Overstreet finished 4-for-5 with a walk, a homer, a triple, two doubles, six RBI and three runs scored. Doss went 4-for-6 with three runs and a pair of RBI, and Grichor and Heisler had three hits apiece.
“It was tremendous to have such a great crowd,” Kittrell said. “There were a lot of Jag fans here, and it was great to see their support for this team. We’re starting to play a lot better, and the fans were a huge reason why we showed up and played so well tonight.”
USA will attempt to extend its winning streak when it hosts Middle Tennessee this weekend at Stanky Field. The Blue Raiders enter the weekend tied for the Sun Belt Conference lead with a 15-5 record in SBC play. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Notes: The previous record for attendance at Stanky Field came when 4,407 fans watched the Jags fall 10-9 against Alabama on April 14, 1998 ... Derek O'Reilly’s RBI single in the second extended his hitting streak to seven games and his streak of games reaching base safely to 19 straight ... USA hit for the cycle in the third inning. The last time the Jags did so was May 4, 2008 against Louisiana-Monroe ... The Jags scored 10 runs in an inning for the first time since March 17, 2004, when they did so in the seventh inning of a 25-24 win against Eastern Illinois ... Alabama gave up 10 runs in an inning for the first time since Auburn scored 10 in the fourth inning of a 15-4 win in 1999 ... Jake Overstreet’s six RBI were the most in a game by a Jag since David Doss drove in seven against UAB on March 7 ... Ryan Bohanan (17 games), Overstreet (14 games) and Doss (13 games) all extended streaks of games reaching base safely ... Bohanan was hit by a pitch twice in the third inning, marking the first time on record a Jag batter has been hit by a pitch twice in the same frame ... Clint Reynolds walked three times, making him the first Jag to so since Doss walked three times against Florida Atlantic on April 6, 2008 ... The last time Alabama gave up 21 runs in a game was in an 21-9 loss to Tennessee in 2000 ... With 22 hits the Jags tied a season high. They also had 22 against Memphis on March 11 ... The teams combined to score 37 runs, the most in a game at Stanky Field since the 25-24 games against Eastern Illinois in 2004. The run total was also the most in the 98-game history of the Alabama-USA series ... Doss was presented with a plaque before the game for breaking USA’s all-time hits record with his 279th career hit last Friday at Louisiana-Lafayette.
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).
