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MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team rallied for five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat Little Rock 7-2 Saturday at Stanky Field.

USA (24-22, 11-12 Sun Belt) broke a 2-2 tie with five runs in the eighth inning, highlighted by an RBI double from Reid Powers and RBI singles by Santi Montiel and Michael Sandle, to clinch the three-game series and extend its home winning streak to six games.

South Alabama will return to action Sunday when it hosts Little Rock (21-24, 13-9 Sun Belt) in the series finale at 1 p.m. at Stanky Field.

GAME FACTS
- South Alabama jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Ethan Wilson lifted a 1-1 pitch from Trojan right-hander Hayden Arnold over the right field wall for a solo home run – his 14th of the season.
- Little Rock answered when Troy Alexander led off the top of the second with a solo home run to right-center field to tie the game at 1-1.
- The Jags responded in the bottom of the third when Reid Powers doubled down the left field line to lead off the inning, and scored one batter later on an RBI double down the right field line by Bennett Shell for a 2-1 USA lead.
- Little Rock tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fifth inning on a one-out RBI bunt single up the first base line by Christian Reyes that scored Chase Coker, who led off the inning with a single.
-  South Alabama pushed across the game-winning runs in the bottom of the eighth. Wilson led off the inning with a double to right field, and scored one batter later on an RBI single up the middle by Michael Sandle for a 3-2 Jaguar advantage. After a walk by Kaleb DeLaTorre, Carter Perkins attempted a sacrifice bunt but LR right-hander Zach Ours fielded the bunt but threw wide of third base to allow Sandle to score and double the Jaguar lead to 4-2. Wells Davis followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to plate DeLaTorre for a 5-2 lead. Santi Montiel later delivered a two-out RBI single to right field that scored pinch-runner Colton Thomas for a 6-2 advantage. Reid Powers followed with an RBI double to right field to score Montiel with the game's final run.

NOTES
- Wilson extended his hitting streak and on-base streak to 17 games with a one-out home run in the bottom of the first. 
- DeLaTorre extended his on-base streak to 17 games with a two-out walk in the bottom of the first.
- Powers extended his on-base streak to eight games with a leadoff double in the bottom of the third.
- Sandle extended his on-base streak to 10 games with an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth. 
- Jaguar right-handed starter Drake Nightengale allowed two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts without issuing a walk in 6 2/3 innings, but did not factor in the decision. 
- Right-hander Zach Greene (2-0) tossed 2 1/3 scoreless relief innings, and allowed two hits while striking out three without issuing a walk to earn his second win of the season.

Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On the pitching performance:
"The stat of the night is no walks – not an abundance of strikeouts, but we knew going in (to the series) that Little Rock is one of the toughest teams (in conference) to strike out. They do a great job with two strikes, and they have some good hitters. But no walks tonight – you can't say enough about that. That was the story of the game to me. Their guy (Hayden Arnold) was really good too; he had a good curveball and a tough angle. But we got enough hits and pushed some runs across the board."

- On Drake Nightengale:
"He's calmed himself down and found who he is. Everyone competes in a certain gear; some guys go too hard and others need to be amped up a little bit more. I think Drake was both of those, and I think he has found where he needs to be comfortably to compete and be the best version of himself. I think he has found just the right amount of testosterone when he has been out there. He has been really good for us his last four times on the mound."

- On the importance of playing well down the stretch:
"Everyone talks about getting off to a good start, and finishing hot and being good late. So far, so good for us in terms of the timing of it. Our guys have been playing well, and some guys who didn't have an abundance of confidence are gaining a little more; it couldn't happen at a better time."

NEXT UP
South Alabama will return to action Sunday when it hosts Little Rock in the series finale at 1 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.