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MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama baseball overcame a one-run deficit in the eighth inning to defeat Southeast Missouri 6-5 Saturday at Stanky Field.

USA (1-1) trailed 5-4 after 7 1/2 innings before a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth lifted the Jaguars for their first victory of the season, and also evened the series with SEMO at one game apiece. 

 GAME FACTS
- SEMO (1-1) loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first inning. Danny Wright reached on a fielding error by Caleb Balgaard in left field, a bunt single to third by Wade Stauss and single to center field by Tyler Wilber. Jaguar right-hander JoJo Booker then rolled a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Andrew Keck for the first two outs of the frame, which also allowed Wright to score the game's first run.
- The Redhawks threatened in the top of the second. Peyton Leeper led off the inning with a triple down the right field line, but Booker responded with three consecutive strikeouts to strand Leeper and preserve a one-run Jaguar deficit.
- USA answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second that were aided by a pair of Redhawk errors. Michael Sandle singled to right field to lead off the inning, and scored when SEMO left fielder Keck mishandled a single in left field off the bat of Cameron Tissue to tie the game 1-1. Alden Davis then reached on a fielding error by SEMO third baseman Leeper that scored Tissue from second for a 2-1 Jaguar advantage. 
- SEMO tied the game 2-2 in the top of the fourth on an RBI double to left field by Lincoln Andrews. Leeper, who reached on a hit by pitcher earlier in the frame, scored on a wild pitch for a 3-2 SEMO lead. A sacrifice bunt by Connor Basler scored Andrews to double the Redhawk lead at 4-2.
- Hunter Stokes led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk, and moved to second on a single to right field by Noah Bailey. A sacrifice bunt by Reid Powers advanced both runners into scoring position with one out. Michael Sandle later delivered a two-out, two-run single back up the middle on the 10th pitch of the at-bat to tie the score 4-4.
- SEMO took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth when Basler reached on a fielder's choice on a grounder to second, and Leeper scored from second on the play on a throwing error by Santi Montiel when attempting to turn the double play. 
- Tissue drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth, and advanced to third with one out following a sacrifice bunt by Davis. Richard Sorrenti drew a pinch-hit walk before Bailey delivered an RBI safety squeeze to plate Tissue and tie the game at 5-5. Powers followed with a two-out RBI ground-rule double to score pinch-runner Drake Dobyanski for a 6-5 Jaguar lead.

NOTES
- Tissue recorded his first career hit at South Alabama, which came in the form of a two-out single to left field in the bottom of the second inning. He finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored in the game.
- Booker allowed three earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in 4 2/3 innings pitched without factoring in the decision.
- Jag left-hander Tyler Samaniego (1-0) allowed one unearned run on one hit with one strikeout and one walk in 1 1/3 innings pitched to record his first career win at USA.
- Right-hander Collin Brougham struck out one in two-thirds of a scoreless inning to record his first career save as a Jaguar.
- SEMO left-hander Black Cisneros (0-1) allowed one run in two-thirds of an inning in the loss.
- Right-hander Miles Smith tossed two scoreless relief innings, and struck out three while allowing two hits.
- Sandle finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs and one run scored to lead the Jaguars at the plate.

QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On the win:
"Michael Sandle's two-run single was a clutch at-bat. Noah Bailey got a safety squeeze down, and that was clutch. He's a very good hitter who had a rough day yesterday. Another guy, (Cameron) Tissue, had a rough day yesterday, and helped us win today. But I give JoJo Booker a lot of credit. The game was won in the first inning. We gave away a couple of free bases, and for JoJo to only give up one run in the first inning was big. JoJo Booker stepping up and being tough in the first inning was where the ballgame was won to me. He didn't break, he just got tougher when he was backed into a corner.

"We need to pitch and play good defense. We have had too many mistakes defensively the last two days, and one of our calling cards is defense. That's going to have to get better and improve as we move along in the season. But it was good to see some guys with some good at-bats today. Reid Powers had a big double at the end, and we used a bunch of guys to win today. It took a lot of guys to win today, and it was a really good team effort."

- On the bullpen:
"Moving forward, we can't go to the bullpen so early. We need starters to get us through six (innings) – deeper into a ballgame. It is early (in the season), but we need starters to get us deeper into ballgames. I will be expecting that out of (Matt) Boswell tomorrow. But our bullpen today, starting with (Tyler) Trussell – he came in and did a nice job with a man on third. And Miles Smith was outstanding, as were (Tyler) Samaniego and (Collin) Brougham behind him. I thought the bullpen was really good today."

NEXT UP
South Alabama will return to action Sunday when it hosts Southeast Missouri at 1 p.m. in the rubber match 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).

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