Box score

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team defeated Arkansas State 3-2 Sunday at Stanky Field to secure its fifth consecutive Sun Belt Conference series sweep.

USA (25-8, 15-0 SBC) also extended its home winning streak to 13 games with the victory. Jaguar right-hander Austin Bembnowski (4-0) allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts and four walk in 5 1/3 innings to earn his fourth win of the season. ASU left-hander Coulton Lee (3-3) allowed three runs on five hits with two strikeouts and three walks in five innings in the loss. USA southpaw Shane McKinley struck out two and issued one walk in two scoreless relief innings to earn his sixth save of the season.

"We walked way too many, and the game wasn't pretty," USA head coach Mark Calvi said. "In fact, I didn't like the game at all; the only part of the game that I like is that we won. It was ugly, but I would rather win ugly than lose pretty. Sometimes you have to win when you're not at your best, and that was one of those games. I'm proud of the guys for the result today and super happy with the results over the weekend, but we need to pitch better in the last half of the season than we have the last two games to be where we want to be at the end of the season."

ASU (13-18, 4-11 SBC) jumped out to a two-run lead in the top of the first inning. Ty White and Tanner Ring reached on consecutive singles to start the game, and scored on a one-out, two-run double down the left field line by Joe Schrimpf for a 2-0 lead.

USA answered with a pair of runs to tie the game in the bottom of the third. Ben Gann led off the inning with a single to right-center field, and Wolfe followed with a walk. Travis Swaggerty reached on a single back to the pitcher to load the bases for Cole Billingsley, who delivered a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Gann and cut the ASU lead in half at 2-1. Drew LaBounty then reached on a fielding error by Ring at third base that allowed Wolfe to score and tie the game 2-2.

South Alabama pushed across the game's decisive run in the bottom of the fifth. Swaggerty reached on a fielding error by ASU second baseman Jake Bakamus, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Cole Billingsley. Danny Martinez delivered a two-out RBI single back up the middle later in the inning to score Swaggerty for a 3-2 USA lead. 

Arkansas State threatened in the top of the eighth when it put two runners in scoring position with one out. Jeremy Brown led off the inning with a single to center field, and Jake Bakamus followed with a walk. A sacrifice bunt by Tony Ortiz moved both runners into scoring position with one out. But USA left-hander Shane McKinley struck out the next two batters he faced to escape the jam and preserve a one-run Jaguar lead.  

Donovan went 2-for-4 to lead the Jags at the plate. Martinez finished 1-for-2 with one RBI, and Billingsley drove in one run. Brown finished 2-for-3 to lead the Red Wolves offensively.

USA will return to action Tue., April 12, when it hosts Southeastern Louisiana in a 6:30 p.m. contest 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).