Box Score (Game 1 of DH)

TULSA, Okla. – The University of South Alabama baseball team split a doubleheader with Oral Roberts Saturday at J.L. Roberts stadium to close the series.

South Alabama (4-3) clinched the three-game series with a 4-3 win in 10 innings in game two after scoring two unanswered runs over the final two frames to kick off Saturday's twinbill. Oral Roberts (2-5) avoided the series sweep with a 9-2 win in the series finale. The Jags will return to action Wed., March 3, with a 6:30 p.m. contest against New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Game 1 of Doubleheader
USA 4, ORU 3
 GAME FACTS
-  Oral Roberts scored the game's first runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Caleb Denny singled to lead off the inning, and moved to second with one out after a sacrifice bunt by Hunter Swift. Brody Gibson followed with a walk before Anthony Martinez delivered a one-out RBI single through the left side of the infield to score Denny for a 1-0 ORU lead. A passed ball then allowed both runners to move into scoring position with one out. Jaguar right-hander JoJo Booker struck out Joshua Cox for the second out of the frame before Ryan Cash delivered a two-out, two-run single through the right side of the infield for a 3-0 ORU lead. Cash stole second, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Jake McMurray drew a two-out walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch to put two runners in scoring position before Jordan Wiley walked to load the bases for Adam Oviedo, but Booker recorded an inning-ending strikeout to keep the Jaguar deficit at three runs. 
- The Jaguars responded in the top of the sixth. Caleb Balgaard led off the inning with a single to left center field, and moved to third on a double to right field by Michael Sandle. Reid Powers followed with an RBI groundout to second to score Balgaard and cut the ORU lead to 3-1. An RBI groundout to first by Hunter Stokes scored Sandle from third to cut the Golden Eagle lead to 3-2. 
- Sandle drew a leadoff walk in the top of the eighth, and moved to second on a bunt single to third by Powers. A sacrifice bunt by Stokes put both runners in scoring position with one out. Alden Davis later drew a two-out walk to load the bases for Hunter Donaldson, but ORU left-handed reliever Adam Scoggins recorded an inning-ending strikeout to escape the jam. 
- Ethan Wilson singled trough the right side of the infield with one out in the top of the ninth, and was lifted for pinch-runner Bennett Shell. Balaard followed with a walk before a one-out RBI single through the left side of the infield by Sandle scored Shell to tie the score 3-3. 
- Stokes drew a leadoff walk in the top of the 10th inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Santi Montiel, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Davis then delivered an RBI sacrifice bunt on a squeeze play to score Stokes for a 4-3 Jaguar lead.
- Cash led off the bottom of the 10th with an infield single to shortstop, and advanced to second with one out on a sacrifice bunt by McMurray. A flyout to right field by Wiley allowed Cash to tag from second and move to third with two outs. Oviedo drew a walk to put runners at the corners with two outs, but Jaguar left-hander Tyler Samaniego induced a 1-3 groundout off the bat of Denny for the final out of the game.

NOTES
- Balgaard extended his hitting streak to four games and on-base streak to six games with a leadoff single in the top of the sixth inning.
- Booker allowed three runs on four hits with two strikeouts and six walks in five innings pitched without factoring in the decision.
    - ORU right-handed starter Isaac Coffey allowed two runs on six hits, and tied his career high with nine 
    strikeouts against one walk in 5 2/3 innings pitched. 
- Jag right-hander Jase Dalton (1-0) struck out one and issued one walk with one hit allowed in 1 1/3 scoreless relief innings to earn the win.
- Left-hander Tyler Samaniego issued one walk in two-thirds of an inning to record his second save of the season.
- The bullpen trio of Boyd, Dalton and Samaniego combined for five scoreless innings with two hits allowed and four strikeouts against a pair of walks.
- Montiel and Stokes extended their on-base streak to six games apiece. 
- The win marked South Alabama's third straight victory. 

Game 2 of Doubleheader
ORU 9, USA 2
GAME FACTS
- ORU loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fifth on a leadoff single to right field by Wiley, walk by Oviedo and a bunt single by Cox. Swift followed with an RBI groundout to second to score Wiley for a 1-0 ORU lead. Alec Jones doubled the Golden Eagle lead to 2-0 with a one-out RBI single to left field. 
- South Alabama responded in the top of the sixth when Richard Sorrenti hit the first pitch he saw from ORU right-hander Tanner Rogen over the left field wall for a solo home run – the first of his Jaguar career – that cut the ORU lead to 2-1. 
- South Alabama tied the game 2-2 in the top of the seventh on a two-out RBI single to right field by Donaldson that scored Montiel, who reached on a two-out walk and moved to second on a wild pitch ahead of Donaldson's single. 
- Cox led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk, and Swift followed with an infield bunt single to first. A sacrifice bunt by Jones, who reached on a throwing error by Jaguar right-hander Peyton Millirons, loaded the bases with no outs. A hit by pitch to Martinez scored Cox for a 3-2 Golden Eagle advantage. Cash followed with an RBI infield single to the left side of the infield to double the ORU lead at 4-2. Denny then delivered a two-run double to right field for a 6-2 ORU lead. An RBI sacrifice fly by Wiley later pushed the ORU advantage to 7-2. The Golden Eagles took an 8-2 lead when Cash reached on an error that scored Swift, and took a 9-2 lead on a wild pitch. 

NOTES
- Jaguar right-hander Matt Boswell retired the first nine batters he faced in the game, and faced the minimum through four innings. 
- Montiel extended his on-base streak to seven games with a single to right field in the top of the second inning.
- Sorrenti's home run marked the first of his career, as well as his first RBI at South Alabama.
- Jaguar right-hander Sam Knowlton made his USA debut with a relief appearance in the eighth inning.
- The loss snapped South Alabama's win streak at three games.

QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On winning the series:
"Little by little, you could see some things coming last Sunday and then this past Tuesday. We faced some very good arms here this weekend. Today in the first game we were behind, but we have some older guys out there who know we have a chance to have a good club. There was no panic, we just kept playing. We had hitters give themselves up and we scored two runs (in the sixth). We ended up tying, and then Alden Davis had the big suicide squeeze in the top of the 10th. A lot of guys chipped in, but (Reid) Powers and (Hunter) Stokes getting the RBIs on outs was really big for us in that game. We hit some balls on the screws too. The wind probably held up five or six home runs today. We had some really good at-bats. JoJo in game one went five innings, but had five walks in there. I thought Booker was OK. If he eliminates two walks, he probably gets us through six (innings), but I trusted who we had behind him. Jackson Boyd came in and was phenomenal. JoJo was fine; I liked his stuff, it was better this week than last week. Everything was a tick up. Boyd, (Jase) Dalton and (Tyler) Samaniego were phenomenal for us out of the bullpen. 

"And (Matt) Boswell was phenomenal in game two today. He just did an outstanding job keeping us in that game. He didn't have a good outing last week, and for him to rebound and pitch the way he did today was huge for him and the team. The first game today was just a grind. It was a really great college baseball game with a lot of excitement right down to the wire. It came down to executing pitches and playing small ball, and that's what our guys did staying in there fighting until the end. The series finale was 2-2 going into the bottom of the seventh, and Boswell was at 84 pitches. It was a great rebound outing for him, he pitched his tail off. We just didn't win the last three innings. We had a couple of miscues, things just didn't go our way in the seventh (inning). There were some mental miscues in there, which is what bothered me but we'll be back to work hard on Monday to get those corrected."

NEXT UP
South Alabama will return to action Wed., March 3, when it faces New Orleans at 6:30 p.m. in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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