Box score

MOBILE, Ala. – Brad Hook set career highs in strikeouts and innings pitched, and hit the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning to lead the University of South Alabama baseball team to an 8-3 win over the University of Louisiana at Monroe Sunday at Stanky Field.

South Alabama (13-10, 3-3 SBC) captured their first Sun Belt Conference series of the season with Sunday’s win.

Hook (1-2) earned his first win of the season with his first career complete game, and allowed just three runs on five hits while striking out a career high six batters. After ULM scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game 3-3, Hook led off the bottom-half of the seventh with a solo blast to right field to put the Jaguars up for good.

“I’m so proud of the guys for bouncing back and playing with intensity today and Saturday,” South Alabama head coach Steve Kittrell said. “Brad Hook pitched a sensational game. He really kept them off-balance and just did a tremendous job. But his home run after the momentum changed [in the seventh inning] was huge. I’m so proud of the guys for the effort after a tough loss on Friday night. We have a lot of work to do and have a long way to go, but maybe we’re at least starting to see some daylight at the end of the tunnel.”

After surrendering a single to Jason Hicks in the second inning, Hook retired 15 consecutive Warhawk batters before allowing three runs on three hits in the seventh. Up to that point, Hook surrendered just one hit in the game.

ULM cut the USA lead to 3-2 in the top of the seventh on a two-out, two-run double by Judd Edwards, and tied the game one batter later when Shane Ardoin doubled off of the top of the left field wall to score Edwards.

Following his home run in the bottom of the seventh and a bases-loaded two-run single by Brent Tanner to give the Jags a 6-3 lead, Hook allowed just one hit in the final two innings to record his first career complete game.

White went 4-for-5 with two runs scored, an RBI and two stolen bases to lead the Jaguars at the plate. Tanner went 2-for-4 with two RBI, and Kirkland finished 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI. Hook added a homer and one RBI, and Nolan Earley drove in one run.

ULM right-hander Luke Briley (2-1) suffered the loss in six innings pitched, allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out two and issuing two walks.

Hicks went 2-for-4, and Edwards added a double and two RBI to lead the Warhawks at the plate.

South Alabama jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Taylor White singled up the middle, stole second and later scored on Overstreet’s groundout to third.

The Jags extended their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning on Jake Overstreet’s single to left field to score Kirkland, and Earley’s groundout to shortstop that scored White.

Hook pitched with a three-run cushion until the seventh inning when the Warhawk bats came to life to tie the game. South Alabama scored five unanswered runs in its final two at-bats,  adding two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on Kirkland’s doubled down the left field line to score Hook and White’s single to right field to score Kirkland.

 South Alabama will return to action Wednesday when it travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a 6:05 p.m. contest against Alabama. The Jaguars will then travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn., for a three-game SBC series with Middle Tennessee April 1-3.

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:  Hook tossed his first career complete game, and struck out a career-high six batters … Kirkland extended his hitting streak to a career-best nine games … Tanner recorded his team-leading 11th multiple-hit game … Overstreet recorded his team-leading eighth multiple-RBI game … South Alabama improved to 18-10 all-time against ULM and 15-6 all-time at Stanky Field in regular season games.