Box Score Box scoreHAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana scored seven unanswered runs en route to a 9-2 win over the University of South Alabama baseball team Tuesday at Alumni Field.
SLU (11-6) broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning with four runs, followed by a three-run seventh to end the game's scoring.Â
USA (12-5) pushed across the game's first runs in the top of the second. The Jags loaded the bases with one out in the inning on a double to the right-center gap by Ben Gann, a walk by Carter Perkins and single to right field by Brendan Donovan. Tanner Halstead then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to plate Gann with the game's first run. A wild pitch from SLU right-hander Pat Cashman allowed Perkins to score one batter later and double the USA lead to 2-0.
SLU answered with a pair of runs to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth. Consecutive singles from Brennan Breaud and Jameson Fisher put runners at the corners for the Lions with no outs. Breaud then scored on a wild pitch from Jaguar right-hander Randy Bell with the Lions' first run of the game. Webb Bobo delivered a one-out RBI single to center field later in the inning to score Fisher and tie the game 2-2.
Southeastern Louisiana then pushed across four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a four-run lead. Jacob Seward reached on a leadoff single to second, and moved to second on the play when Drew LaBounty's throw sailed wide at first base. Breaud followed with a one-out RBI single back up the middle to score Seward for a 3-2 Lion lead. Daniel Midyett then delivered a two-run home run to right field to extend the SLU lead to 5-2. Bobo followed with a solo home run to center field to push the Lion lead to 6-2.
SLU added the game's final runs in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out RBI single to right field by Midyett, a bases-loaded hit by pitch to Julian Service from Jaguar right-hander Jordan Schmits and a steal of home by Midyett.
SLU left-hander Drew Avans (1-1) tossed four scoreless relief innings, and allowed four hits with four strikeouts to earn his first win of the season. Bell (0-1) allowed three runs on six hits with a career-high four strikeouts and one walk in 5 1/3 innings in the loss.
Gann went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored to lead the Jaguars at the plate. Midyett finished 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored to lead the Lions offensively.
"We led off the top of the sixth with back-to-back base hits, but didn't get a bunt down and went quietly from there," head coach Mark Calvi said. "When you get the first two hitters on with no outs, you expect to score at least two runs. When you score less than two, it's a letdown. When you don't score any then that hurts your momentum. They (Southeastern Louisiana) were obviously thrilled to get out of that jam, and they went and put up seven runs over the next two innings. But Randy Bell did a fantastic job and competed his tail off for us tonight."
South Alabama will return to action this weekend when it hosts Texas-Arlington in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Stanky Field, with game one set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch Friday.
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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