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MOBILE, Ala. – Jaguar right-hander Patrick McBride tossed five shutout innings to lead the University of South Alabama baseball team to an 8-1 series-opening win over Little Rock Friday at Stanky Field.

McBride (2-2) did not allow a run over five innings, and allowed five hits while tying his career high with five strikeouts against one walk to earn the win. Right-hander Noah Michael tossed four relief innings and struck out one to record his first career save.

South Alabama (23-22, 10-12 Sun Belt) will return to action Saturday when it hosts Little Rock (21-23, 13-8 Sun Belt) in game two of the three-game series at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field.

GAME FACTS
- South Alabama jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Ethan Wilson lifted the first pitch he saw from Trojan left-hander Chandler Fidel over the right field wall for a solo home run, which marked his 13th of the season.
- The Jaguars doubled their lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Wilson drew a leadoff walk on an 11-pitch at-bat, and scored one batter later on an RBI double to left field by Michael Sandle. Carter Perkins followed with an RBI triple to right-center field to plate Sandle for a 3-0 Jaguar advantage. Santi Montiel then grounded out to shortstop to allow Perkins to score for a 4-0 USA lead.
- South Alabama extended its lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out RBI single to center field by Sandle that scored Dailey, who reached on a one-out single earlier in the inning. A wild pitch from Trojan right-hander McKinley Moore allowed Wilson, who was intentionally walked with two outs earlier in the inning, to score for a 6-0 lead.
- Dailey delivered a two-out RBI single to left-center field in the bottom of the eighth that scored Wells Davis, who reached on a one-out walk earlier in the inning, for a 7-0 Jag lead. A wild pitch from Trojan left- hander Ethan Dailey allowed Dailey to score from third later in the inning for an 8-0 lead.
- Little Rock scored the game's final run in the top of the ninth on a one-out RBI single to center field by Troy Alexander.

NOTES
- Wilson extended his hitting streak and on-base streak to 16 games with a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning.
- Sandle extended his on-base streak to nine games with an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth.
- Perkins extended his on-base streak to nine games with an RBI triple in the bottom of the fourth.
- DeLaTorre extended his on-base streak to 16 games and his hitting streak to six games with a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth.
- Santi Montiel's on-base streak was snapped at 12 games.
- Sandle went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and one run scored to lead the Jags at the plate.
- Michael tossed a season-high four innings and struck out one while allowing one run on two hits to record his first career save.
- The win marked the Jaguars' fifth straight at Stanky Field dating back to the April 16 win over Southern Miss.

Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On Patrick McBride and Noah Michael:
"Those guys were awesome tonight. Patrick McBride and Noah Michael were really good; I can't say enough good things about those two guys. They got ahead with quality pitches, kept the fastball out of the middle (of the plate) and attacked the middle-to-outer half of the plate with their changeups and breaking balls. They stayed out of the middle, worked ahead and when they were behind, they were able to throw an offspeed pitch for a strike and got them (Little Rock) off balance."

- On the offense:
"I didn't like the first time through (the order), other than Ethan Wilson, and it didn't look good. We were taking a strike early on; that's what we did to him (Trojan starter Chandler Fidel) last time at their place and we got to him. He was a little better tonight with his command, but we got tougher with two strikes and got better results."

NEXT UP
South Alabama will return to action Saturday when it hosts Little Rock in game two of the three-game series 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.