Box Score (PDF)

LAFAYETTE, La. – Louisiana scored eight unanswered runs to defeat the University of South Alabama baseball team 8-4 Saturday at Russo Park.

USA (15-19, 5-9 Sun Belt) opened up a 4-0 lead after 1 ½ innings, but the Ragin' Cajuns responded with a run in the bottom of the second, five in the fourth and a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth to secure the win in game two of the three-game series.

South Alabama will return to action Sun., April 14, when it faces Louisiana (18-20, 7-7 Sun Belt) at 1 p.m. in the rubber match at Russo Park.

GAME FACTS
- South Alabama loaded the bases with one out in the top of the second inning on consecutive walks by Wells Davis and Santi Montiel, and hit by pitch to Colton Thomas. But UL right-hander Brandon Young induced a popup into foul territory off the bat of Kaleb DeLaTorre for the second out of the frame, before Dakota Dailey delivered a three-run double down the right field line for a 3-0 Jaguar lead. Ethan Wilson was intentionally walked, then Michael Sandle reached on an RBI infield single to plate Dailey and extend the Jaguar lead to 4-0.
- Louisiana answered in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly to right field by Kole McKinnon to cut the USA lead to 4-1.
- The Jags loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fourth on a leadoff double to right-center field by DeLaTorre, intentional walk to Ethan Wilson and Michael Sandle reached on a fielding error by UL shortstop Hayden Cantrelle. But Young recorded consecutive strikeouts to end the threat.
- UL loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fourth on a walk by Handsome Monica, hit by pitch to Tremaine Spears and a bunt single up the first base line by Orynn Veillon. McKinnon then reached on a hit by pitch to plate Monica and cut the Jaguar lead in half at 4-2. Brennan Breaux followed with a hit by pitch to score Spears and cut the USA lead to 4-3. A wild pitch from right-handed reliever Joel Cheatwood allowed Veillon to score and tie the game at 4-4. A walk by Cantrelle loaded the bases with two outs before Hunter Kasuls delivered a two-run double to right field for a 6-4 Cajun lead.
- UL pushed across the game's final runs in the bottom of the fifth on a one-out, two-run single to left field by McKinnon.

NOTES
- Michael Sandle extended his on-base streak to 10 games with a two-out RBI infield single to shortstop in the top of the second inning.
- Wilson extended his hitting streak and on-base streak to six games with a leadoff single to right field in the top of the first inning.
- DeLaTorre extended his hitting streak to five games, and his on-base streak to six games with a leadoff double to right-center field in the top of the fourth inning.
- Young (2-3) allowed four runs on four hits with nine strikeouts against six walks in five innings pitched to earn the win.
- Jaguar left-hander Caleb Yarborough (2-5) allowed five earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts and one walk in 3 1/3 innings in the loss.
- Dailey finished 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and one run scored to lead the Jags at the plate, while Davis added two hits and one run scored.
- Right-hander Chase Lambert tossed a career-high four scoreless relief innings, and allowed four hits with one strikeout and one walk.

Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On the loss:
"We gave them (Louisiana) too many free passes (in the fourth inning) with walks and hit by pitches, and with a couple of hits they scored five runs. It was good before that and solid after that. That inning got us. Offensively, we had our chances – that leadoff double by (Kaleb) DeLaTorre, and we didn't do a few things that we needed to do to move some runners around and take advantage of it. We didn't score that inning, and that wasn't the game at all. We scored four early and I liked our chances. You would think you would score a few more on the way out. That inning (fourth) we did have a chance to push a couple of runs across and change it, but we didn't play the game well enough from a pitching aspect and on the offensive aspect when we had our chances, and they did today and that was the difference."

NEXT UP
South Alabama will return to action Sun., April 14, when it faces Louisiana at 1 p.m. in the rubber match at Russo Park.

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.