Box score


MOBILE, Ala. – No. 18 University of South Alabama baseball fell 6-3 to Troy Saturday in the series finale at Stanky Field.

With the loss, the Jaguars share the regular season Sun Belt Conference championship with the Trojans to give USA a league-best 14th conference title.

Thomas Austin (3-1) earned the win in two shutout innings in relief, allowing just one hit with a strikeout and one walk. Tanner Hicks allowed one run on four hits with a pair of strikeouts and one walk in four innings to earn his first save of the season.

Jaguar right-hander Jaime Dennis allowed just one unearned run on four hits with three strikeouts, but did not factor in the decision.

“Jaime (Dennis) was outstanding again tonight,” head coach Mark Calvi said. “He was good yesterday, and he was good again today. He’s one of the guys who you want with the ball in his hands at the end (of the game). He kept us in it, we just didn’t do enough.

“Troy made their hits count, and we didn’t get a couple of the breaks that you need in a game like this. It was a great weekend and a great series. We would have loved to have won two out of three. But there was a lot of excitement, and both teams were in to it. We would have loved two out of three, but let’s not take away the fact that it’s a championship for our guys. We get to change the (championship) banners, it’s a co-championship, but this team will always be able to say they hung a banner out front (of the stadium).”

Troy (39-16, 20-10 SBC) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a two-run home run by Logan Pierce, and doubled its lead to 4-0 in the top of the third on a two-out, two-run single by Josh McDorman.

USA answered to cut the Troy lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the third on an RBI single to right field by Jordan Patterson that scored Graham Odom, who singled to lead off the inning. Nick Zaharion followed with an RBI single to center field to score Bud Collura, who walked earlier in the frame, to cut the USA deficit in half at 4-2.

Troy pushed its lead to 5-2 in the top of the fifth when Tyler Vaughn reached on a Jaguar error at shortstop, and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Danny Collins.

The Trojans added their sixth run of the game in the top of the seventh on an RBI single to left field by Collins for a 6-2 advantage.

USA pushed its final run across in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI groundout by Collura.

Collura went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the Jags at the plate. Zaharion finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, and DeBlieux finished with two doubles. Patterson added a hit and one RBI, while Odom went 2-for-3 with two runs.

South Alabama (40-16, 20-10 SBC) will return to action next week when it travels to Lafayette, La., to compete in the 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).