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BILOXI, Miss. – Harrison Spruiell turned in a quality start to lead the University of South Alabama baseball team to a 4-2 win over Southern Mississippi Wednesday at MGM Park.

Spruiell, making his first career start, allowed one run on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk in 6 2/3 innings to earn his first career win. Jaguar left-hander Shane McKinley tossed two scoreless innings in relief, and allowed three hits with one walk to earn his second save of the season. USM right-hander Hunter Stevens allowed four runs on four hits with five strikeouts and a pair of walks in 2 2/3 innings in the loss.

"What a great effort tonight out of Harrison Spruiell," USA head coach Mark Calvi said. "I couldn't be more proud of him. He took a good-hitting ball club and mixed and matched. He threw his fastball for strikes, was up and down when he needed to be and threw enough offspeed in there to slow them (Southern Miss) down a little bit. He just did a fantastic job, and beat a very good hitting team. He has worked extremely hard, and I was super proud of his effort."

South Alabama (8-1) broke a scoreless tie in the top of the second when Ben Gann lifted the first pitch he saw from Stevens over the left field wall for a two-out solo home run – his first of the season – for a 1-0 Jaguar lead. 

USA added three runs to its lead one inning later. Travis Swaggerty reached on a one-out walk in the top of the third, stole second and moved to third on a throwing error by USM catcher Chuckie Robinson. Cole Billingsley followed with a walk to put runners at the corners with two outs. Swaggerty scored one batter later on an RBI groundout to shortstop by Drew LaBounty for a 2-0 USA lead. Billingsley then advanced to third on a wild pitch from USM right-hander Hunter Stevens, and scored on an RBI single back up the middle by Carter Perkins for a 3-0 USA advantage. Martinez reached on a single to right field, and Jared Barnes followed with a two-out RBI single to right field to plate Perkins and extend the Jaguar lead to 4-0.

USM (7-2) answered with its first run of the game in the bottom of the seventh. Chase Scott doubled to left field to lead off the inning, and later scored on a two-out RBI single back up the middle by Storme Cooper.

The Golden Eagles tacked on the final run of the game in the bottom of the eighth. Dylan Burdeaux led off the inning with a hit by pitch from Jaguar right-hander Cody Van Aken, and moved to second on a single from Jake Sandlin. Tim Lynch followed with an RBI single to right field to score Burdeaux and cut the USA lead in half. 

Martinez finished 2-for-4 to lead South Alabama at the plate. Gann homered, drove in a run and scored once, and Barnes and Perkins added one hit and one RBI apiece. 

"We had two quality starts and played fantastic defense," Calvi said of his team's two wins over USM the past two days. "We got outhit both nights and struck out too many times, but we pitched and played a little better defense than our opponent. We can manufacture a few things on offense, but you can't manufacture pitching and defense and when you play a team like that who swings the bat and takes advantage of mistakes then you can't open too many windows. And we didn't from the pitching and defensive side of things. That was the story these last two ballgames."

South Alabama will return to action this weekend when it hosts Middle Tennessee in a three-game series, with game one scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday 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).