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MOBILE, Ala. – UT-Martin shortstop Jack Culumovic delivered a two-out RBI double to right-center field in the top of the ninth inning to lead the Skyhawks to a 7-6 win over University of South Alabama baseball Friday in the South Alabama Invitational.

South Alabama (2-4) will return to action Sat., Feb. 22, when it hosts Indiana at 11 a.m. in the South Alabama Invitational. 
 
GAME FACTS
- South Alabama took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning on a one-out RBI single through the right side of the infield by Hunter Stokes, which scored Bennett Shell who led off the inning with a bunt single to second.
- The Jags doubled their lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth on a one-out RBI single up the middle by Reid Powers to score Michael Sandle, who led off the inning with a single.
- UTM answered with three runs in the top of the sixth, highlighted by back-to-back two-out home runs by Houston Wright and Wil LaFollette for a 4-2 advantage. 
- USA responded in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 4-4 on a one-out, two-run double to right field by Kaleb DeLaTorre, and took a 6-4 lead one batter later on a two-run home run to left field by Powers – his second of the season.
- UTM cut the Jaguar lead to 6-5 in the top of the seventh when Nate Self reached on a throwing error by right-hander Drake Nightengale that allowed Andruw McKenzie to score from second. The Skyhawks later tied the score at 6-6 on an RBI groundout to second by Christian Hall.
- Sandle singled to shortstop to lead off the bottom of the eighth, stole second with no outs and advanced to third with one out following a flyout to center field off the bat of DeLaTorre.
- UTM took a 7-6 lead in the top of the ninth when Jack Culumovic hit a 2-1 pitch into the right-center field gap for a two-out RBI double.

NOTES
- Shell recorded his first hit of the season, which came on a bunt single to second base to lead off the bottom of the third inning.
- Ross Indlecoffer started at designated hitter, marking the first start of his Jaguar career.
- Drake Nightengale struck out a season-high 12 batters without issuing a walk, and allowed four earned runs on seven hits in six innings pitched without factoring in the decision.
- Powers went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and one run scored to lead the Jags at the plate. DeLaTorre doubled, drove in two runs and scored one run.
- USA struck out 10 times in the game, marking the sixth consecutive game the Jags have struck out 10 or more times offensively. 

QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On Drake Nightengale:
"Drake was really good through 5 1/3 innings. We didn't play good enough defense tonight. There were two plays we didn't make, and give UT-Martin credit – they hit a slider and a curveball out. That was the damage tonight, and we didn't play well enough to win. I thought Drake deserved a better fate. If we handle the ball behind him, it's a different ballgame. But that's how the game goes. We didn't play well enough or hit enough tonight. Some guys were a little bit better, we got a few more hits, but as a whole we're not playing good enough baseball right now. You can't have 10 strikeouts, not move runners along and not make defensive plays when outs are given to you. We didn't handle a bunt correctly, and gave them a couple of free bases via an error, and they hit two home runs. I credit UT-Martin. We need to play much better in all areas of the game."

- On the quick turnaround:
"I told the team it can either be good or bad – it's how they show up tomorrow. We have a quick turnaround and play a very good team (Indiana). The bottom line is if we play better, we could play right now and I would feel good about it. If we play better as a team, then we'll have a chance to beat anyone we play. If we continue to play like this then we'll struggle. It's just a matter of putting it together. I know it is early and we have some guys who have not played to their abilities. We're averaging two errors a ballgame and that's going to hurt us. We're striking out too much and not getting enough hits. We need some guys to step up offensively, and we need to field the ball better." 

NEXT UP
South Alabama will return to action Sat., Feb. 22, when it hosts Indiana at 11 a.m. in the South Alabama Invitational. 

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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