Box score
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team captured its second Sun Belt Conference series of the season with a 10-4 win over UALR Saturday afternoon at Stanky Field.
South Alabama (19-16, 7-7 SBC) scored 10 runs on 17 hits, and outscored the Trojans 5-1 in the game’s final three innings to earn its seventh SBC win of the season.
Brent Tanner went 4-for-5 with a double, one RBI, a run scored and a stolen base to lead the Jaguars at the plate. Trey Sorrells went 3-for-5 with a double, one run scored and a career-high three RBI. Jordan Patterson finished 2-for-3 with a triple, one RBI and a run scored. Jeff DeBlieux recorded a career-high three hits, including a double, with one RBI and two runs scored. Logan Kirkland added three hits and one RBI to extend his hitting streak to 20 games.
Dustin Crenshaw (6-1) earned the win in 5 2/3 innings pitched, and allowed three runs on 11 hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Jaguar left-hander Michael Carden pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief, and allowed one unearned run while striking out a career-high five batters to earn his first career save.
UALR left-hander Ryan Juris (1-1) suffered the loss in 4 1/3 innings pitched, allowing five runs on eight hits with three strikeouts.
Nick Rountree went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the Trojans at the plate. Jake Rowell went 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored, and Justin Barnes finished 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Myles Parma added two hits.
South Alabama took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI double to left field by Sorrells and an RBI single to left-center field by DeBlieux.
UALR (15-18, 6-8 SBC) cut the Jaguar lead in half in the top of the third on Rountree’s RBI single to center field that scored Parma, after he singled and stole second earlier in the inning. The Trojans then loaded the bases following a single by Rowell and walk by Nick Navarro, but Crenshaw struck out Barnes to end the threat.
UALR moved the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with one out in the top of the fourth, but Crenshaw struck out Parma and induced an inning-ending grounder to second to end the threat.
The Jags extended their lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth when Patterson tripled down the left field line and later scored on Sorrells’ groundout to second. USA added its fourth run of the game later in the inning on a sacrifice fly from Kirkland, and took a 5-1 lead on Taylor White’s two-out single to left-center field.
Rowell cut the UALR deficit to two, 5-3, in the top of the fifth with a two-run home run over the right field wall.
South Alabama doubled its lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning when Corey Bryan scored on Patterson’s sacrifice fly to right field.
The Jaguars added four insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth on a safety squeeze by Roam that scored White, an RBI double by Tanner, RBI single by Sorrells and a throwing error by UALR first baseman Rowell that allowed DeBlieux to score.
UALR tacked on the game’s final run in the top of the ninth on an RBI single by Barnes.
South Alabama will go for the series sweep in game three Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. 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: Kirkland extended his hitting streak to 20 games … White extended his hitting streak to 11 games … DeBlieux recorded a career-high three hits … Sorrells drove in a career-high three runs and recorded a career-high three hits … South Alabama won its sixth consecutive game over the Trojans, and improved their all-time record to 55-9 against UALR.
