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MOBILE, Ala. – Jaguar right-hander Drake Nightengale struck out 11 Trojan batters in 7 2/3 innings pitched to lead the University of South Alabama baseball team to a 8-2 series-opening win over Troy Thursday at Stanky Field.

Nightengale (6-2) allowed two runs on four hits with 11 strikeouts against one walk in 7 2/3 frames to earn his sixth win of the season. The victory marked South Alabama's eighth straight in Sun Belt Conference play, and eighth consecutive win at Stanky Field.

South Alabama (30-23, 16-12 Sun Belt) will return to action Friday when it hosts Troy in game two at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field.
 
GAME FACTS
- South Alabama took a three-run lead in the bottom of the second inning. Wells Davis and Carter Perkins reached on consecutive one-out singles, and scored when Santi Montiel lifted a 3-2 pitch from Troy right-hander Cory Gill over the left field wall for a three-run home run and 3-0 Jaguar lead.
- Wells Davis pushed the USA lead to 4-0 with a leadoff solo home run over the right-center field wall in the bottom of the fourth inning on a 3-1 pitch from Gill. Perkins followed with a hit by pitch, moved to second on a wild pitch with one out and scored on a two-out RBI single to right-center field by Reid Powers for a 5-0 Jaguar advantage.
- USA loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fifth on a one-out walk by Michael Sandle, single to left by Kaleb DeLaTorre and a walk from Davis. But Gill rolled a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play off the bat of Perkins to escape the jam and preserve a five-run Trojan deficit.
- Troy (27-27, 14-14 Sun Belt) cut the Jaguar lead to 5-1 in the top of the sixth. Manny Early led off the inning with a double to right field, and later scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Rigsby Moseley.
- Dakota Dailey pushed the Jaguar lead to 6-1 with a leadoff solo home run to center field, the first of his career, in the bottom of the sixth inning on a 1-0 pitch from Troy right-hander Lance Johnson. Montiel followed with a single to left field, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Powers and scored on a one-out RBI single to right-center field by Nick Lewis for a 7-1 USA lead.
- Troy cut the Jaguar lead to 7-2 in the top of the eighth on an RBI sacrifice fly to left-center field by Moseley.
- USA scored the game's final run in the bottom of the eighth. Montiel led off the inning with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Powers and later scored on a two-out RBI single up the middle by Ethan Wilson. 

NOTES
- Montiel extended his hitting streak and on-base streak to six games with a two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the second.
- Davis' home run in the bottom of the fourth marked the third consecutive year he has homered against Troy.
- Davis moved into eighth place on the career RBIs list, recording his 153rd RBI on a solo home run in the fourth inning, which moved him out of a tie with former Jaguar Tim Merritt (152).
- After issuing a leadoff walk to Trojan catcher Chase Smartt in the top of the second, Jaguar right-hander Drake Nightengale retired 12 consecutive Troy batters before Manning Early led off the top of the sixth with a double to right field, which marked the first Trojan hit of the game.
- Dailey's leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the sixth marked the first home run of his Jaguar career, and extended his on-base streak to seven games.
- Lewis extended his on-base streak to seven games with a one-out RBI single to right-center field in the bottom of the sixth.
- All nine Jaguar starters hit safely in the game, led by Montiel who finished 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored. 

Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On Drake Nightengale:
"Drake (Nightengale) is a true Friday-night guy. We saw glimpses of it early on and in the fall, and he's been really good for us the last five weeks – just been outstanding. Pitching and defense was the story today, along with some timely hits."

- On the offense:
"Santi (Montiel) has been great. A lot of young guys hit a wall, but our young guys have gotten better as the year has gone along, and Santi is one of them. How about Dakota Dailey with the home run? And Wells (Davis) had a big home run. I truly thought the back-breaker was Reid Powers' two-strike RBI base hit into right field (in the fourth inning), and Nick Lewis came up with an RBI as well. (Troy starter Cory) Gill is a heck of a Friday-night guy; he has some good stuff – it's 90 to 92 (mph) with a nasty slider. We had our work cut out for us tonight, and we had to earn everything we got off a really good pitcher."

NEXT UP
South Alabama will return to action Friday when it hosts Troy at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field.

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.