Box score


BOWLING GREEN, Ky.  – Nick Zaharion delivered a two-out walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning to lead No. 4 University of South Alabama baseball to a 5-4 win over No. 1 Florida Atlantic in day three of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Bowling Green Ballpark.

After Nolan Earley and Whitt Dorsey reached on consecutive one-out singles in the 10th, Zaharion drilled a 2-1 pitch with two outs from FAU left-hander Ahmed Garcia to left field to score Earley for the game-winning run.

With the win, South Alabama (23-34) finished 2-1 in the SBC Tournament.

“I’m proud to send our three seniors off with a victory,” USA head coach Mark Calvi said. “It was a team win tonight; our guys fought hard. We were fortunate enough to end up the receiving side of a win. It means everything to the University of South Alabama and the pride and tradition of this program, and our fans and fan base and these players to finish on this note. Even though we weren’t fighting for a postseason berth, we were playing for the pride in wearing the uniform and tradition of South Alabama baseball.

“We have a great nucleus coming back, and these kids went through a lot of hard times and adversity this year. But they stayed together, fought all year and never quit and tonight was indicative of that.”

Jaguar right-hander Payton Gardner (2-6) earned the win in six relief innings, allowing one run on three hits with four strikeouts and three walks. Garcia (3-2) took the loss for FAU, allowing one run on three hits in 1 1/3 innings in relief.

Gardner did not allow a hit after issuing a single in the top of the sixth, and retired 15 of the final 17 batters he faced including a stretch of 12 straight.

Dorsey went 5-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the Jags at the plate. Zaharion finished 3-for-6 with three RBI, and Earley went 2-for-5 with a triple, one RBI and three runs scored. Graham Odom added two hits, while Hunt Griffith finished with a double, an RBI and one run.

Griffith led off the bottom of the third with a double off the left field wall, and scored when Earley tripled down the right field line to give USA a 1-0 lead. Dorsey followed with an RBI single to left field to score Earley and double the USA lead.

FAU (32-22) cut the USA lead in half in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly to center field off the bat of Corey Keller. The Owls tied the game later in the inning on a solo homer to right field by Nathan Pittman.

Florida Atlantic took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth on an RBI double to center field by Kyle Newton, and loaded the bases later in the inning on a walk by Nelson and single by Keller. The Owls then doubled their lead to 4-2 when the Jags turned a 4-6-3 double play.

USA loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh on a hit by pitch to Earley, single by Dorsey and walk by Jordan Patterson. Zaharion followed with a two-run single down the left field line to tie the game 4-4.

Geoff Jimenez went 3-for-4 to lead FAU at the plate.

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).