Box score

MOBILE, Ala. – Middle Tennessee scored four unanswered runs over the final three frames to defeat the University of South Alabama baseball team 7-4 in Friday's series opener at Stanky Field.

The Blue Raiders dealt Jaguar starter Kevin Hill (2-1) his first loss since April 19, 2014, which came at Western Kentucky, scoring six runs on eight hits off of the right-hander. Hill finished with nine strikeouts and one walk in 6 1/3 innings.

"I thought Kevin was pretty good tonight," head coach Mark Calvi said. "I have seen him better, and I've seen him where he wasn't quite as sharp. I have seen that same effort beat 85 percent of the teams he would have faced. Middle Tennessee is a very good ball club. They did a really nice job the first-third of the game with Kevin. His pitches got up, and they weren't giving up easy at-bats. They worked really hard through their at-bats, and that was the difference tonight. They did a better job in the first-third and last-third of the game than we did."

Trailing by a run after six innings, Middle Tennessee (5-4) pushed three runs across in the top of the seventh inning to take a lead it never relinquished. Kaleb King reached on a leadoff single to right field, and Kevin Sullivan followed with a bunt single to second. Riley Delgado knotted the score at 4-4 with a one-out RBI single back up the middle that scored King. Brad Jarreau followed with an RBI single back up the middle to plate Sullivan and give the Blue Raiders a one-run advantage. A walk by Austin Sistrunk loaded the bases for Dupree, who reached on a hit by pitch from Jaguar left-hander James Traylor to force home Delgado and extend the MT lead to 6-4.

The Blue Raiders pushed across the final run of the game in the top of the ninth on an RBI sacrifice bunt by Sistrunk.

South Alabama (8-2) fell behind by two runs in the top of the first inning. Delgado singled up the middle to lead off the game, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Jarreau. Sistrunk reached on a single to third before Dupree delivered a two-run double to the left-center gap for a 2-0 Blue Raider lead.

USA answered with a run in the bottom of the first inning to cut its deficit in half. Drew LaBounty singled to right field with one out then stole second before moving to third on a wild pitch by MT right-hander Nate Hoffmann, which put Gann on via a base on balls to set up runners at the corners with two outs. Danny Martinez followed with an RBI single to left field to score LaBounty and cut the Middle Tennessee lead to one run.

But Middle Tennessee responded with a run in the top of the third to push its lead back to two. Sistrunk drew a one-out walk from Hill, and later scored on a two-out double down the left field line by Austin Norrell for a 3-1 MT lead.

The Jags answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game. Adam Wolfe singled up the middle and stole second before Travis Swaggerty lifted a 3-1 pitch from Hoffmann over the right field wall for a two-run home run – the first of his Jaguar career – to tie the game 3-3. 

South Alabama took its lone lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth. Tanner Halstead drew a one-out walk and was lifted for pinch-runner Dylan Hardy, who stole second and advanced to third with one out on a wild pitch before scoring on a one-out double to right field by Brendan Donovan for a 4-3 Jaguar lead. 

Donovan went 2-for-4 with a double and one RBI, and Swaggerty finished 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored to lead the Jaguars at the plate. Delgado went 3-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored to lead the Blue Raiders offensively.

Middle Tennessee right-hander Sam Alton (1-0) allowed one run on one hit with a walk and two strikeouts in one relief inning to earn the win. Left-hander Cody Puckett tossed three scoreless innings and allowed one hit with four strikeouts and two walks in three innings to earn his first save of the season.

The series will continue with game two Saturday at 2 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).