Box score


MOBILE, Ala. – Troy scored seven unanswered runs to knock off No. 18 University of South Alabama baseball 8-3 Friday at Stanky Field.

Tanner Hicks (8-2) earned the win with 3 1/3 shutout innings in relief, and struck out five while issuing one walk and just two hits allowed. Jaguar right-hander Dylan Stamey (5-2) suffered the loss in 1 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with one strikeout.

Troy took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a two-out solo home run to left-center field by Danny Collins.

But USA answered with three runs in the bottom-half of the first to take a 3-1 lead. Jeff DeBlieux led off the inning with a double to the right-center gap, advanced to third on a flyout to right field by Bud Collura and scored on an RBI single to right field by Jordan Patterson. Later in the inning, Nolan Earley delivered a two-out, two-run homer – his third of the season – down the right field line to give the Jags a 3-1 lead.

Troy cut the Jag lead to 3-2 in the top of the third on an RBI single by Collins, and tied the game 3-3 in the top of the fifth on an RBI single to center field by Trae Santos to score Logan Pierce, who led off the inning with a double.

From there, the Trojans outscored the Jags 5-0 with a two-run seventh and three-run eighth.

The Jags threatened in the bottom of the sixth when they loaded the bases with one out on a walk by Dustin Dalken, single by Robby Campbell and hit by pitch by Troy starter Shane McCain to Drew Cofield. But the Trojans worked out of the jam with a strikeout, and inning-ending fielder’s choice off the bat of DeBlieux to keep the game tied 3-3.

Troy took a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh on a leadoff homer to left field by Pierce, and increased its lead to 5-3 later in the frame on a two-out RBI single by Justin Hancock.

The Trojans doubled their lead to 6-3 in the top of the eighth on a two-out RBI double to right field by Pierce, and took a 7-3 lead one batter later on an RBI single to left-center by Collins. Josh McDorman followed with an RBI single to center field to extend the Troy lead to 8-3.

Campbell went 3-for-4 to lead the Jags at the plate. Earley added a homer, two RBI and a run scored, and Patterson finished with one hit, one RBI and a run.

“Troy did a nice job,” head coach Mark Calvi said. “They won the last three innings of the ballgame. They outplayed us in those innings, and anyone who watched this game tonight will tell you that Troy deserved to win the game. Credit goes to them, because they did a nice job. Tomorrow is a new day, and we’ll have two good teams playing the last (regular season) game of the year – it’s what college baseball is all about. I was glad to be a part of this game. I wish we would have won, but we lost to a good team tonight and we’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

The series, as well as the Jags’ regular season will conclude Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field. Fifteen Jaguar seniors will be honored in a pregame ceremony as part of Senior Day. With a win, South Alabama would clinch its 14th Sun Belt Conference championship.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).