Box scorePhoto galleryMOBILE, Ala. – Ben Gann delivered a walk-off double in the bottom of the 11th inning to lead the University of South Alabama baseball team to an 8-7 win over Mississippi State Tuesday at Stanky Field.
With the score tied 7-7, Cameron Cummings and Adam Ballew drew consecutive one-out walks off of MSU rigtht-hander Zac Houston. Gann then drilled an 0-1 pitch from Houston into the left-center gap to plate Cummings with the game-winning run.
Cody Van Aken (2-1) tossed two scoreless innings in relief, and struck out two while issuing one walk to earn the win. Houston allowed one run on one hit with four walks and a strikeout in 1 1/3 innings in the loss.
MSU (19-12) jumped out to a five-run lead after the first half-inning. Cody Brown doubled to left field on the first pitch of the game from Jaguar right-hander Matt Peacock. Jake Vickerson followed with an RBI single back up the middle to plate Brown with the game's first run. A single by Gavin Collins put Bulldog runners at the corners with no outs in the inning. Reid Humphreys then delivered an RBI single to center field to score Vickerson and double the MSU lead to 2-0. A throwing error by USA third baseman Bud Collura on a grounder to third off the bat of Jacob Robson loaded the bases with no outs. Consecutive walks to Wes Rea and Ryan Gridley from Peacock forced home two additional runs. Peacock induced a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of John Holland to produce the first two outs of the inning, but also allowed the fifth Bulldog run to score.
USA (19-10) answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Cole Billingsley reached on an infield bunt single to first base, stole second and later scored on a two-out, RBI single to right field by Danny Martinez to cut the MSU lead to 5-1. A fielding error by Bulldog second baseman John Holland on a ball hit back up the box by Cole Gleason allowed Jared Barnes, who reached on a two-out walk, to score from second and cut the Jaguar deficit to three runs. Adam Ballew drew a two-out walk from MSU southpaw Daniel Brown to load the bases with two outs for Gann, but Brown recorded a strikeout to escape the inning without any further damage.
South Alabama tied the game in the bottom of the second with three runs. Ryan Raspino reached on a leadoff single to extend his hitting streak to eight games. Later in the inning, Matt Bolger delivered a two-run triple to right-center field to cut the MSU lead to one run. Barnes followed with an RBI groundout to second to plate Bolger and tie the game 5-5.
The Bulldogs took a 7-5 lead in the top of the fourth on a two-out, two-run home run to left field by Humphreys. But the Jags answered to tie the game 7-7 in the bottom of the fifth on a one-out, two-run home run to left-center field by Benn Gann – the first of his Jaguar career.
MSU loaded the bases on three consecutive one-out singles in the bottom of the ninth. USA right-hander Ben Taylor struck out Holland for the second out of the frame, and induced an inning-ending groundout to shortstop off the bat of Seth Heck to end the threat and preserve a 7-7 tie.
The Bulldogs threatened again in the top of the 10th. Brown reached on a leadoff single, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Michael Smith. USA intentionally walked Gavin Collins to pitch to Humphreys, who grounded into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.
Gann went 2-for-6 with a double, a home run, a career-high three RBI and one run scored to lead the Jaguars at the plate. Bolger finished 2-for-6 with a double, one triple, two RBI, one run and a stolen base. Barnes added a double, one RBI and a run scored, while Billingsley finished with a pair of hits, one run and a stolen base. Brown went 4-for-5 with a double and two runs scored to lead the Bulldogs offensively.
USA will return to action Wednesday when it hosts Jackson State at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field.
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).
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