Box Score

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team scored five first-inning runs en route to a 13-4 win over Alabama State Tuesday at Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.

Seven Jaguar starters hit safely in the game, led by Dylan Hardy who tied a career high in hits finishing 3-for-3 with a double, two RBI, one run scored and two stolen bases. Hunter Stokes went 2-for-2 with a double, one home run, and a career-high three RBI and three runs scored, and Travis Swaggerty finished 2-for-6 with a double, a home run, one RBI and two runs scored. Will Luft added two hits and two runs scored, while Eddie Paparella added a home run, four RBI and one run scored.

Jaguar left-hander Andy Arguelles (2-0) allowed one unearned run on two hits with a pair of strikeouts and one walk in four innings pitched in the win. Hornet left-hander Ivanniel Vazquez (0-1) allowed five runs on three hits with one strikeout and three walks in two-thirds of an inning in the loss.

"Andy (Arguelles) missed a start last week, so we threw him on Saturday," USA head coach Mark Calvi said. "We probably threw him more than we wanted to – he threw 30 pitches and I wanted him to throw 20. He looked a little different tonight to me, but he took what he had and competed with it. He had a very good fastball-hitting team, and he used his changeup enough tonight. It's easy to pitch when you have great stuff, but it's a lot tougher when you are facing a good offense and you don't have great stuff. He has shown me three different guys in the past month, and all of them have given us a chance to win or won the ballgame and he did it again tonight. I was proud of his effort. We need to be better in there after him, but Avery Geyer came in and did a nice job of settling the game down. I am very proud of the way Avery pitched tonight. The thing that I was very pleased with moving forward was the way he used his slider and changeup, the way he moved his breaking ball around – I thought after that home run that Avery pitched tonight. It is the best I have seen him move his stuff around, and that will really help us and help his confidence just in terms of his overall feel for pitching. I thought he did a really nice job tonight."

South Alabama (12-9) spotted Arguelles a five-run lead before he threw his first pitch of the contest. Hardy led off the game with an infield single to third then stole second. Brendan Donovan followed with a walk before Swaggerty reached on an error by ASU shortstop Eriq White to load the bases with no outs. Wells Davis drew a walk to force home Hardy with the game's first run. Paparella followed with a grand slam, his third home run and second grand slam of the season, to give the Jaguars a 5-0 lead. 

"(Dylan) Hardy led off the game with a single then we took some walks to load them up for Eddie (Paparella), and he got off a good swing," Calvi said of his team's first-inning run production. "He used the middle of the field, the lefty (Vazquez) wasn't throwing real hard and that's what you need to do to a guy who is trying to get you out with a below-average fastball. Those guys can be effective – it's not just the 88-to-92 (mph) lefty who gives you problems. But I thought Eddie set the tone tonight, and our guys did a good job. 

"The offense kind of came and went a little bit, but we had some good at-bats tonight. Dylan Hardy had some great at-bats with some two-strike hits, Will Luft had some good at-bats, Wells Davis had a sacrifice fly and walk with the bases loaded. Hunter Stokes was outstanding on the hit-and-run with a double down the line, then he came up with a big home run. Carter Perkins led off the third inning with a single, and we ended up scoring that inning. Travis Swaggerty had a great night tonight, but I was most impressed with the fact that he was facing a guy he had never faced before with a good splitfinger (fastball) and he shot it back up the middle for a single. We had some good at-bats up and down the lineup. I am proud of the guys offensively tonight."

Alabama State (7-15) answered with a run in the bottom of the first. Edgardo Rivera reached on a fielding error to lead off the inning, and moved to second on a single to left field by Carlos Ocasio. Gage Cox reached on a fielding error by Stokes at second to load the bases with no outs. Gustavo Rios followed with a sacrifice fly to right field to score Rivera and cut the USA lead to 5-1.

The Jaguars responded with a pair of runs in the top of the third to push their advantage to six runs. Carter Perkins led off the inning with a single through the right side of the infield, advanced to second on a groundout to third by Jared Barnes and moved to third on a flyout to right field by Luft. Stokes drew a two-out walk to put runners at the corners before Hardy delivered a two-run double down the left field line to plate Perkins and Stokes and extend the Jaguar lead to 7-1.

South Alabama added to its lead in the top of the fifth inning. Luft reached on a one-out single back up the middle, and Stokes followed with an RBI double down the left field line to push the USA advantage to 8-1. Hardy singled to right-center field then stole second to put two runners in scoring position with one out. Donovan followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to plate Stokes and extend the Jaguar lead to 9-1. 

Wells Davis led off the top of the sixth with a double to the left-center gap, and Paparella followed with a walk. Davis tagged and advanced to third on a flyout to right field off the bat of Barnes to put runners at the corners with two outs. A walk by Luft loaded the bases for Stokes, before a wild pitch from ASU left-hander Carlos Gonzalez scored Davis for a 10-1 USA lead. 

The Hornets answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth on a one-out RBI double to left field by Ray Hernandez and a two-out RBI double to left field by Eriq White to cut the Jaguar advantage to 10-3.

Alabama State added its final run of the game on a leadoff solo home run to left field by Hernandez in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Jaguars added the game's final runs on a two-run home run to right-center field by Stokes, the first of his career, and a two-out solo home run to right field by Swaggerty in the top of the ninth inning. 

USA will return to action this weekend when it hosts Georgia State in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Stanky Field, beginning with game one Friday at 6:30 p.m.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with USAJaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at Twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Dugout Club, the baseball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. Members enjoy all games from inside the Stadium Club with climate control, private restrooms, private concessions and access to listen to the radio broadcast. All donations to the Dugout Club go directly to support the South Alabama baseball program. For more information on how you can join visit: jaguarathleticfund.com/dugoutclub