Box score


LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  – The University of South Alabama baseball team pounded out 21 hits and used an eight-run fifth inning to defeat UALR 14-7 Sunday at Gary Hogan Field.

South Alabama (13-23, 8-7 SBC) sent 13 batters to the plate in the fifth and tallied four extra-base hits in the frame.

Back-to-back doubles by Whitt Dorsey and Jordan Patterson gave the Jags a 5-4 lead. Following a walk by Brad Hook, Nick Zaharion singled to the right side of the infield to score Patterson and push the USA lead to 6-4. Dustin Dalken then singled up the middle to score Hook and extend the Jaguar lead to 7-4. Hunt Griffith followed with a walk to load the bases. Later in the inning, Nolan Earley delivered a two-out, bases-clearing double down the left field line to push the Jag lead to 10-4. Dorsey followed with a two-run homer, the first of his Jaguar career, down the left field line to increase the USA lead to 12-4.

 “Our hits came with men on base, and when you do that you usually win,” USA head coach Mark Calvi said. “And when you can make big pitches when the other team has men on base, it gives your team a chance to win.”

Every Jaguar recorded a hit in the game, led by Dorsey who went 5-for-6 with a double, two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored. Brad Hook finished 3-for-4 with a homer, one RBI and two runs scored. Dalken went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs, and Robby Campbell had three hits and drove in one run. Patterson added two hits, including a double, one RBI and a run, and J.T. Files had two hits, including a double, and scored twice. Hunt Griffith finished 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and two runs.

UALR center fielder Cameron Bentley tripled to lead off the bottom of the first and scored on an RBI groundout off the bat of Nick Rountree to take a 1-0 lead.

Dalken led off the top of the second with a single to right field, and advanced to third on a double off the left field wall by Files. Griffith followed with an RBI groundout to shortstop to score Dalken and tied the game 1-1. Campbell followed with an RBI single to left-center field to score Files and give the Jags a 2-1 lead through an inning-and-a-half.

UALR tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by Bentley that scored John Clark, who reached on a hit by pitch. The Trojans loaded the bases later in the inning when Ben Crumpton walked and Sean Bignall reached on a hit by pitch. But Jarron Cito pitched out of the jam with an inning-ending flyout to right-center field off the bat of Rountree.

Trojan catcher Blake Johnson led off the bottom of the third with a double down the left field line, and Chris Burk followed with a two-run homer over the left-center wall to give the Trojans a 4-2 lead.

But after surrendering the home run to Burk, Cito settled in and retired the next 13 batters he faced before issuing a walk to Crumpton in the bottom of the seventh inning.

“I just wanted to put the fastball in there and let them get themselves out after the home run,” Cito said.

Cito (4-3) scattered seven hits and allowed six runs while striking out seven and issuing two walks in 6 2/3 innings pitched to earn his fourth win of the season.

“(Jarron) Cito did a really nice job after a rocky start,” Calvi said. “He started getting ahead of guys and using his fastball a little more and it paid off for him.”  

Andrew Hohn (0-2) took the loss in 1/3 of an inning, allowing five runs on four hits with one walk.

USA right-hander Jarrett Bailey pitched the final 2 1/3 innings, and allowed one run on just one hit while striking out one.

South Alabama tied the game 4-4 in the top of the fourth when Files reached on a one-out single to left field, and Griffith followed with his first homer of the season – a two-run shot over the left field wall.

The Jags held a 12-4 lead until Dorsey led off the top of the seventh with a homer over the center field wall, and Hook followed with his second home run of the series – a solo shot to right field – to push USA lead to 14-4.

The Trojans answered in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run homer to right-center field by Sean Bignall to cut the USA lead to 14-6.

Crumpton added the game’s final run with a one-out solo homer to center 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).





NOTES:  Dorsey recorded his first career multi-home run game … Every Jaguar recorded at least one hit in the game, and eight of nine Jags drove in runs …Campbell recorded a career-high three hits … Hook extended his hitting streak to eight games, and matched a season-high in hits … Earley extended his on-base streak to 11 games … USA improved to 57-11 all-time against UALR.