Box Score (PDF)

STATESBORO, Ga. – Jaguar right-hander Drake Nightengale tied his career high in innings pitched and struck out 11 to lead the University of South Alabama baseball team to a 6-2 win over Georgia Southern in Sunday's series finale at J.I. Clements Stadium.

Nightengale (4-2) allowed two runs on three hits with 11 strikeouts against three walks in seven innings pitched to earn the win. 

South Alabama will return to action next weekend when it hosts Little Rock in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Stanky Field, with the series opener set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch on Fri., May 3.

GAME FACTS
- South Alabama loaded the bases with one out in the top of the third inning on a leadoff single by Reid Powers, a one-out walk by Carter Perkins and a one-out single from Ethan Wilson. Kaleb DeLaTorre followed with an RBI single to center field to score Powers with the game's first run. Wells Davis then delivered a two-run sacrifice bunt on a suicide squeeze to plate Perkins and Wilson for a 3-0 Jaguar lead.
- Santi Montiel led off the top of the fourth inning with a single to left field, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Nick Lewis and moved to third with one out on a wild pitch from Eagle left-hander Nick Jones. Michael Sandle then delivered a sacrifice fly to center field to score Montiel for a 4-0 Jag lead.
- Wells Davis extended the USA lead to 5-0 in the top of the fifth when he lifted a 1-2 pitch from Jones over the right-center field wall for a two-out, solo home run – his eighth of the season.
- Georgia Southern answered in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out, two-run single to center field by Noah Ledford to cut the USA lead to 5-2.
- Colton Thomas drew a pinch-hit walk to lead off the top of the eighth, stole second and moved to third on a flyout to center field by Powers. Sandle followed with a one-out RBI single to right field to score Thomas with the final run of the game.

NOTES
- Sandle extended his on-base streak to eight games with a hit by pitch to lead off the game.
- Wilson extended his hitting streak and on-base streak to 15 games with a single in the top of the first inning.
- DeLaTorre extended his on-base streak to 15 games and his hitting streak to five games with an RBI single in the top of the third.
- Carter Perkins extended his on-base streak to eight games with a walk in the top of the third.
- Montiel extended his on-base streak to 12 games with a leadoff single in the top of the fourth inning.
-Right-hander Drake Nightengale struck out the first four batters he faced in the game, marking the first time a Jaguar hurler has accomplished the feat since JoJo Booker on April 6, 2019, against No. 19 Coastal Carolina.
- Davis recorded his 30th career home run and 150th career hit as a Jaguar in the contest.

Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On Drake Nightengale:
"(Drake) Nightengale was phenomenal today – just what we needed. He has been fantastic his last 18 innings. He was just what we needed today. We didn't have a lot of depth down there (bullpen), and Drake got us into the eighth (inning). After throwing 65 pitches on Tuesday, I actually thought about going to (Zach) Greene a little bit earlier, but Drake had that look in his eye and told me he felt fine. He was great."

- On the offense:
"Michael Sandle had two big RBIs, Wells (Davis) with the home run and then the squeeze with two RBIs. It's all hands on deck. Wells has been a guy who typically swings the bat to drive in runs, but we work on that all the time. We don't exclude guys from playing small ball. That's a play we work on, and we felt like runs were going to be at a premium today. Georgia Southern has a very good pitching staff, and we needed to keep the juice going on our side so that was big. Our guys had really good at-bats up and down the order, and I'm proud of their effort today."

NEXT UP
South Alabama will return to action next weekend when it hosts Little Rock in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Stanky Field, with the series opener set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch on Fri., May 3.

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.