Box score

TROY, Ala. – Dustin Crenshaw tossed his first career complete game to lead the University of South Alabama baseball team to a 10-4 win over Troy Saturday night at Riddle-Pace Field.

Crenshaw (3-0) scattered eight hits and allowed just three earned runs while striking out five without issuing a walk. The right-hander has now pitched 38 1/3 innings this season without walking a batter.

“I was leaving the ball up in the beginning, but as the game went on I figured some things out,” Crenshaw said. “I threw a lot of offspeed in fastball counts which got me some outs in key situations. Brent Tanner called a great game for me, and I have to give a lot of credit to him – he kept me in there.”

South Alabama (10-7, 1-1 SBC) faced a 3-1 deficit  heading into the top of the fifth, but Brent Tanner changed the game’s momentum with one swing of the bat. With the bases loaded following three consecutive singles by Taylor White, Jake Overstreet and Nolan Earley, Tanner blasted an 0-1 fastball from Troy left-hander Ryan Sorce over the left-center field wall to give the Jaguars a 5-3 lead. Later in the inning, Trey Sorrells tripled to left field to score Jordan Patterson, who reached base on a hit by pitch. Sorrells later scored on a fielding error by Trojan left fielder Hayden Hillyer to give South Alabama a 7-3 lead.

Troy answered with one run in the bottom of the fifth on Tyler Hannah’s RBI single to left-center field to cut the USA lead to 7-4.

USA added three runs in the top of the ninth on a two-run double by Earley and RBI single by Tanner to push the Jaguar lead to 10-4, giving Crenshaw all the insurance he would need to finish the ninth.

“Dustin did a great job,” South Alabama associate head coach Mark Calvi said. “He has worked extremely hard. He’s strong – he has done a great job in the weight room. One thing he can do well is that he can pitch backwards. Guys that can do that tend to have success, and he is one of them.”

Sorce (2-2) suffered the loss in 4 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out one and walking two. Sorce was lifted in the fifth inning for left-hander Shane McCain, who allowed five runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk.

Tanner went 2-for-5 with a home run, five RBI and a run scored to lead South Alabama at the plate. Overstreet went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI, White went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored and Earley finished 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored.

Adam Bryant went 2-for-5 with two runs scored to lead Troy at the plate. Blake Martz added a double and two RBI, and Drew Prichard drove in one run.

Troy took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a two-run double down the left field line by Martz.

The Jaguars threatened with runners at the corners and one out in the top of the second, but failed to push a run across. Tanner reached on an error, and advanced to third on a two-base throwing error by Sorce on a pickoff attempt at first. Patterson walked later in the inning, but  a pop up to shortstop and fly out to center field ended the inning.

Troy extended its lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the second inning when Logan Pierce tripled to right-center field and scored one batter later on Prichard’s groundout to second base.

South Alabama cut the Troy lead to 3-1 in the top of the third inning when Overstreet singled through the right side of the infield to score Kirkland, who reached on a single earlier in the inning.

From that point on, the Jaguars outscored Troy 9-1. Crenshaw held the Trojans scoreless for the final four frames to lead USA to its first Sun Belt Conference win of the season and hand Troy just its second home loss of the season.

The series will conclude Sunday with game three which is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Riddle-Pace 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:  Crenshaw recorded his first career complete game … Tanner hit his first career grand slam and tied a career high in RBI (5) … Kirkland recorded his first career stolen base … Overstreet moved to fourth on the career hits list (233), and made his 170th consecutive start at third base … USA improved to 32-22 all-time against the Trojans, and 9-14 in Troy.