Box score

MOBILE, Ala. – As the game got deeper, University of South Alabama right-hander Garrett Harris got stronger. Harris delivered a career-best performance Friday night to lead the Jaguars to a 3-0 win over Columbia at Stanky Field.

Harris (3-0) tossed a complete-game shutout, the first of his career, while striking out a career-high 10 batters. He allowed just four hits in the game, and retired 18 of the last 20 batters he faced. After surrendering consecutive singles in the top of the third, Harris retired 15 of the next 16 Lions he faced before giving up a leadoff single in the top of the ninth inning.

“I don’t think I have thrown a complete-game shutout since high school,”  Harris said. “Ten strikeouts is unbelievable to me. We played a quality ball club tonight. They really swung the bats well, but I think I found a lot of holes in their bats. Brent Tanner called a great game, and the defense played really well; they really came up big.

“Early in the game I had a feel for my fastball and changeup. I threw my slider a couple of times, but after the fifth inning my slider was my go-to pitch. I could throw it in any count, along with my changeup. I got a couple of big strikeouts with my changeup late in the game, but everything was working really well.”

After the third inning, Harris did not allow a Columbia baserunner beyond second base, while six of his 10 strikeouts came from the seventh inning on. His performance marked the first complete-game, nine-inning shutout by a Jaguar pitcher since D.D. Hanks’ shutout at UALR last season.

“Garrett gets ahead of hitters and gets a lot of lead outs,” South Alabama associate head coach Mark Calvi said. “He makes his pitches and he throws his breaking ball for strikes. He had great location away from righties and lefties tonight. I thought he sped guys up and slowed them down – he just disrupted their rhythm all night long and Brent Tanner called a great game. Garrett might have shaken him off two or three times, and he made his pitches. As Brent called them, Garrett made them. He was outstanding.”

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when the Jaguars pushed two runs across with two outs to take a 2-0 lead. South Alabama loaded the bases when Brad Hook reached on a base on balls, Logan Kirkland was hit by a pitch and Jordan Patterson drew a walk. Jake Overstreet followed with a bases-loaded single through the left side of the infield on a 1-0 pitch from Pat Lowery to push the first two runs of the game across.

Nolan Earley added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning when he blasted a 3-2 pitch from Columbia reliever Harrison Slutsky over the right field wall for his first career home run to extend the Jaguar lead to 3-0.

By that time, Harris had the game in control and recorded the final three outs via strikeout after surrendering the leadoff single in the top of the ninth.

Earley went 2-for-4 with a home run, one RBI and a run scored to lead the Jaguars at the plate. Taylor White went 2-for-3 with a double, and Overstreet finished 1-for-2 with two RBI.

Lowery (0-1) suffered the loss in six innings pitched for Columbia, and allowed two runs on five hits, but issued five walks while striking out one Jaguar batter.

Jon Eisen went 2-for-4 to lead the Lions at the plate, and Dario Pizzano and Alex Ferrera added one hit apiece.

“It was a pitcher’s duel,” South Alabama head coach Steve Kittrell said. “Their guy, [Pat] Lowerey, really threw an outstanding game. It was a great matchup; that was an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel. We got timely hitting with [Jake] Overstreet’s hit and [Nolan] Earley got into a ball late to give us an insurance run, but Garrett Harris just did a super job on the mound. He was really rolling. He got ahead in the count a lot and was pitching with a good rhythm. I was happy to see him finish the game and get a shuout.”

South Alabama improved to 8-4 with the win, while Columbia fell to 2-2. Game two of the four-game series will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at Stanky Field.

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).

-USA-

NOTES:  Harris recorded his first career shutout, and set career highs in strikeouts and innings pitched … Earley recorded his first career home run … Overstreet tied former Jaguar Brett Parker for seventh in career at-bats (688) at South Alabama … Overstreet also made his 165th consecutive start at third base, and needs just five hits to move into fourth place on South Alabama’s career hits list … With his two RBI Friday, Overstreet needs to drive in five runs to move into sixth on the all-time list at USA … Tanner’s hit streak was snapped at nine games … Earley and Overstreet have hit safely in four consecutive games.