Box score

NEW ORLEANS – The University of South Alabama baseball team scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning en route to an 8-6 win over Tulane Wednesday evening at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.

Trailing 5-3 heading into the top of the seventh, the Jaguars posted five runs on four hits to take an 8-5 lead. South Alabama loaded the bases with no outs on consecutive singles by Jake Overstreet and Nolan Earley, and a base on balls by Brent Tanner. Trey Sorrells then lifted a fly ball to left field that allowed Overstreet to score on the sacrfice fly and cut the Tulane lead to 5-4. Jeff DeBlieux followed with a two-out double to left field that scored Earley and Tanner to give the Jags a 6-5 lead. USA extended its lead to 8-5 later in the inning on Logan Kirkland’s infield single that scored Brad Hook. DeBlieux also scored on the play after a throwing error by Green Wave second baseman Brennan Middleton.

South Alabama right-hander Collin Blankenship then retired six of the next seven Tulane batters he faced, and the Jaguars carried an 8-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning.

Tulane (20-13) would not go quietly in the ninth inning. The Green Wave cut the USA lead to 8-6 after Jarrett Bailey hit Middleton with the first pitch of the inning, and later scored on Matt Ryan’s single to center field. Jaguar right-hander Cory McGinnis then came on to record the first two outs of the inning via a fly ball to right field off the bat of Jeremy Schaffer and a pop-up to Overstreet in foul territory. USA left-hander Phillip Byrd then came on in relief of McGinnis and induced a fly ball to center field off the bat of Frank Florio to end the game.

Blankenship (1-1) tossed five innings in relief, and allowed two runs on two hits while striking out three and walking one to earn his first career win as a Jaguar. Byrd earned his first career save in 1/3 innings.

Greg Miller (0-1) suffered the loss for Tulane in three relief innings, and allowed three runs on four hits with a strikeout and five walks. Green Wave right-hander Wade Konvicka tossed five innings and allowed three runs on six hits with a strikeout and two walks without factoring in the decision.

Patterson went 3-for-5 with a double and one run scored, and Earley finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored to lead South Alabama at the plate. DeBlieux went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, one run and a walk, and Kirkland went 2-for-4 with two RBI to extend his hitting streak to 18 games. Sorrells added two RBI, and Hook added a hit with an RBI and a run scored.

Tulane took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when Middleton delivered a two-out double to left-center field to score Bowen Woodson, who singled earlier in the inning.

The Green Wave added two runs in the bottom of the third inning on an RBI single by Brandon Boudreaux and an RBI groundout off the bat of Quinn Pippin.

Tulane extended its lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run inside-the-park home run to right field by Schaffer.

South Alabama cut the Tulane lead to 5-3 in the top of the sixth on a pair of sacrifice flies by Sorrells and Kirkland, and an RBI single by Hook. The Jaguars loaded the bases with no outs on a leadoff single by Earley, walk by Tanner and single by Patterson. Sorrells followed with a sacrifice fly to right field to score Earley for the Jags’ first run of the game. Hook followed with a single off the base of the right field wall that plated Tanner and cut the Tulane lead to 5-2. Kirkland drove in the Jags’ final run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Patterson.

The win marked the Jaguars’ 26th all-time win over Tulane, improving USA’s all-time record over the Green Wave to 26-24.

South Alabama will return to action this weekend when it hosts UALR in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Stanky Field, with game one scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday night.

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).



NOTES:  Kirkland extended his hitting streak to 18 games, while Taylor White extended his hitting streak to nine games … Blankenship earned his first career win at South Alabama … Byrd recorded his first career save as a Jaguar … Sorrells recorded his fifth multiple-RBI game of the season … Patterson recorded his second three-hit game of the season … South Alabama improved to 26-24 all-time against Tulane with the win … The win also marked the Jaguars’ first non-conference road win since Feb. 22, when USA defeated Jackson State in Jackson, Miss.