Game 1 Box Score (PDF)
Game 2 Box Score (PDF)

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team split a Sun Belt Conference East Division doubleheader with No. 19 Coastal Carolina Saturday at Stanky Field.

USA jumped out to a 4-0 lead through two innings in the series opener, but CCU scored nine unanswered runs over the final seven frames for a 9-4 win in game one. South Alabama (14-16, 4-7 Sun Belt) rebounded for an 8-4 win in game two to force a Sunday rubber match at 11:30 a.m. at Stanky Field.

Game 1 of Doubleheader
CCU 9, USA 4
GAME FACTS
- South Alabama jumped out to a three-run lead in the bottom of the first inning. Michael Sandle and Kaleb DeLaTorre reached on consecutive two-out singles before Eddie Paparella lifted a 2-2 pitch from CCU right-hander Zach McCambley over the center field wall for a three-run home run, his first of the season, for a 3-0 Jaguar lead.
- USA rallied for a run with two outs in the bottom of the second. Dakota Dailey drew a two-out walk and Ethan Wilson followed with a single to center field to put runners at the corners with two outs. Carter Perkins then delivered an RBI single to left field to plate Dailey for a 4-0 Jaguar lead. Michael Sandle reached on a hit by pitch to load the bases for DeLaTorre, but McCambley induced an inning-ending lineout to first to limit the Jaguar damage to one run in the inning.
- CCU answered in the top of the third on a two-out RBI single to right field by Jake Wright to cut the USA lead to 4-1.
- USA threatened in the bottom of the fourth, but failed to push across a run. Dailey reached on a fielding error by CCU shortstop Scott McKeon to lead off the inning, and moved to second with no outs on a failed pickoff attempt at first by McCambley. A flyout to center field by Ethan Wilson allowed Dailey to tag and advance to third with one out. But McCambley induced a groundout to second off the bat of Perkins for the second out of the frame, and ended the threat with a 6-3 groundout off the bat of Sandle to keep the Chanticleer deficit at three runs.
- CCU answered in the top of the fifth on a two-out, three-run home run to left field by Kieton Rivers to tie the game at 4-4.
- The Chanticleers took a 6-4 lead in the top of the seventh on a two-out home run to left field by Kyle Skeels.
- CCU added to its lead in the top of the eighth on a one-out RBI single to right field by Jake Wright for a 7-4 advantage.
- The Chanticleers added the game's final runs in the top of the eighth on a two-run home run to left field by Skeels.

NOTES
- Sandle extended his hitting streak and on-base streak to five games with a two-out infield single in the bottom of the first inning.
- Paparella's home run in the bottom of the first was his first of the 2019 season, and his first since his game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in the 2017 Sun Belt Conference Championship game against Georgia Southern on May 28, 2017, in Statesboro, Ga.
- Jaguar right-hander JoJo Booker allowed one unearned run on seven hits with five strikeouts against three walks in 5 1/3 innings pitched without factoring in the decision.
- CCU right-hander Matt Eardensohn (4-0) tossed four scoreless relief innings, and allowed one hit with three strikeouts against one walk to earn the win.
- Jaguar right-hander Nick DeSantis (2-2) allowed three runs on three hits with two strikeouts and one walk in 1 2/3 relief innings in the loss.
- Chavers finished 4-for-4 with a double, three stolen bases and two runs scored to lead the Chanticleers at the plate.
- Paparella went 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and one run scored to lead the Jaguars offensively.

Game 2 of Doubleheader
USA 8, CCU 4
GAME FACTS
- CCU scored the game's first runs in the top of the first inning on a sacrifice fly to right by Rivers that scored Wood, who led off the game with a walk, and a two-out solo home run to center field by Chavers for a 2-0 lead.
- The Chanticleers pushed their lead to 3-0 in the top of the second on a leadoff solo home run to left field by Zach Biermann.
- USA answered in the bottom of the third to tie the game. Ethan Wilson and Michael Sandle reached on consecutive one-out singles before Paparella lifted the first pitch he saw from CCU left-hander Austin Kitchen over the right-center field wall for a three-run home run, his second of the day, to tie the game at 3-3.
- The Jags took a two-run lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. DeLaTorre drew a two-out walk, and scored one batter later on an RBI triple off the left-center field wall by Dakota Dailey for a 4-3 Jaguar lead. Bennett Shell followed with an RBI single back up the middle to plate Dailey for a 5-3 advantage.
- CCU responded in the top of the fifth on a two-out RBI triple to right field by Chavers to cut the Jaguar lead to 5-4.
- South Alabama answered in the bottom of the sixth to take a two-run lead. Montiel drew a one-out walk, and moved to second on a single by DeLaTorre. Dailey followed with an RBI single back up the middle to plate Montiel for a 6-4 Jag advantage. An RBI sacrifice bunt by Bennett Shell scored DeLaTorre for a 7-4 advantage. Dailey also scored on the play to double the USA lead to 8-4, which resulted in the game's final run.

NOTES
- Sandle extended his hitting streak and on-base streak to six games with a two-out single to left field in the bottom of the third.
- Right-hander Joel Cheatwood tossed 1 2/3 relief innings, and allowed one run on three hits with one strikeout to earn his first career win at South Alabama.
- Right-hander Zach Greene tossed 3 1/3 scoreless relief innings, and struck out seven while allowing three hits to record his sixth save of the season.
- Kitchen (5-1) allowed five runs on six hits with four strikeouts against three walks in four innings pitched in the loss.
- Dailey finished 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Jags at the plate. Paparella added a home run, three RBIs and one run scored.

QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On the game two win:
"It didn't look good early, and was super uncomfortable but I thought Tyler Perez hung in there against a really good club with the wind blowing out. Tyler just competed; he bent but didn't break, and (Joel) Cheatwood did a really nice job behind him as well as Zach Greene. I'm proud of our guys in the second game. I thought JoJo (Booker) threw very well in the first game and deserved a better fate. But Perez competed hard for his club, and Eddie Paparella had a big home run today. We did some of the little things right in the second game and ended up splitting a doubleheader."

- On Eddie Paparella:
"We've been missing the one-swing capability – the one swing that can drive in two or three runs. We've been missing that, and Eddie's not 100 percent yet but he's close enough to where he can hit it over the fence and help us, and we saw that today. He's an older guy who has been around the block; he was a weapon for us in 2017, and we need him. We need that threat in there, and Eddie provides that for us."

Senior Eddie Paparella
- On his home runs:
"The first one was awesome. It was the first time being back out in front of the home crowd in almost two years, and it was an amazing feeling to be able to do that. The second one was even cooler. It tied the game up, but I knew before the inning if Ethan (Wilson) and Mike (Sandle) didn't get on in front of me then the inning is over and nothing happens. So I have to give credit to those guys for finding a way on (base) with two outs."

NEXT UP
South Alabama will return to action Sunday when it hosts Coastal Carolina in the rubber match at Stanky Field at 11:30 a.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).

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