Box score

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team secured its fourth consecutive Sun Belt Conference sweep with a 12-2 win over Louisiana-Monroe Sunday at Stanky Field.

USA (21-7, 12-0 SBC) scored 11 runs over its final four frames, including two in the bottom of the eighth to force the league's 10-run mercy rule.

Jaguar right-hander Austin Bembnowski (3-0) tossed six shutout innings, and allowed just three hits with three strikeouts and two walks to earn his third win of the season. ULM right-hander Brandon Bell (2-3) allowed six runs on six hits with five strikeouts and five walks in 4 2/3 innings in the loss.

USA took a one-run lead in the bottom of the third inning. Adam Wolfe drew a leadoff walk, stole second and moved to third on a groundout to first by Travis Swaggerty. Drew LaBounty delivered a two-out RBI single to center field later in the inning to score Wolfe with the game's first run.

The Jaguars pushed across six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to add to their lead. Wolfe drew a leadoff walk, and moved to second on a one-out single to left field by Cole Billingsley. A walk by LaBounty loaded the bases for Danny Martinez, who reached on fielder's choice to second base which allowed Wolfe to score for a 2-0 USA advantage. Martinez then stole second before Perkins delivered a two-out, two-run single into right-center field to score Billingsley and LaBounty and push the USA lead to 4-0. Barnes followed with a three-run home run to left-center field to extend the Jaguar lead to 7-0. 

South Alabama added to its lead in the bottom of the sixth. Wolfe led off the bottom of the sixth with a double to the right-center gap, and moved to second when Swaggerty reached on a hit by pitch. A single to right field by Billingsley loaded the bases with no outs for LaBounty, who lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to score Wolfe for an 8-0 USA lead.

ULM (10-18, 2-7 SBC) scored its only two runs of the game in the top of the seventh on a two-out, two-run single by Spencer Hemphill.

USA added a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh. Donovan doubled off of the right field wall to lead off the inning, and moved to third on a single to left field by Barnes to put runners at the corners with no outs. Matt Bolger delivered a one-out RBI single to right field later in the inning to score Donovan for a 9-2 USA lead. Pinch-runner Dylan Hardy added the final run of the inning when he took home on a throw to second on a stolen base by Bolger for a 10-2 advantage.

USA loaded the bases on consecutive walks by Ryan Raspino and Danny Martinez, and a pinch-hit single by Jalen Haskin in the bottom of the eighth. Donovan drew a walk to score Raspino for an 11-2 lead, and a sacrifice fly by Tanner Halstead scored Martinez with the game's final run.

"Austin Bembnowski did a really nice job and got us off to a good start," USA head coach Mark Calvi said. "We're very pleased with where we're at, and we feel very fortunate to have won all three this weekend. Drew LaBounty had two big RBI when the game was tight, (Carter) Perkins had the big RBI to open it (lead) up to four runs and then Jared Barnes came up with the three-run home run which gave us some separation. We'll need to be better defensively than we have been the past couple of weeks. It hasn't been awful, but it has been a little bit spotty. We'll need to be better in our defense moving forward in this league."

Barnes went 3-for-4 with a home run – his fourth of the season – three RBI and one run scored to lead the Jaguars at the plate. LaBounty finished 2-for-2 with two RBI, and Perkins added a hit, two RBI and one run scored. Ross Moore went 2-for-2 to lead ULM offensively.

South Alabama will return to action Tue., April 5, when it travels to Montgomery, Ala., for a 6 p.m. contest with Alabama State.

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).