Box Score

NEW ORLEANS – University of South Alabama right-handers Miles Smith and Jackson Boyd combined to shut out New Orleans 5-0 Wednesday at Maestri Field. 

Smith struck out two and allowed two hits in a career-high 5 1/3 innings pitched without factoring in the decision. Boyd (1-0) struck out a career-high eight batters in a career-high 3 2/3 relief innings to record his first career win at South Alabama.

USA (5-3) broke a scoreless tie with four runs in the top of the eighth, and added an insurance run in the ninth to close out the game's scoring. 

NEXT UP
South Alabama will return to action this weekend when it hosts Middle Tennessee in a three-game series at Stanky Field with game one set for Friday at 6:30 p.m.

GAME FACTS
- USA loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the first on a one-out single by Ethan Wilson, walk by Caleb Balgaard and two-out walk by Hunter Stokes. But UNO right-hander Beau Blanchard induced an inning-ending flyout to right field off the bat of Michael Sandle to escape the jam.
- The Jags loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fourth on consecutive one-out walks by Santi Montiel and Alden Davis, and a hit by pitch to Hunter Donaldson. Montiel was put out for the second out of the frame after a failed suicide squeeze attempt with Noah Bailey at the plate. 
- UNO threatened in the bottom of the fourth. Salo Iza led off the inning with a double to left center field, and moved to third with one out following a groundout to third by Gaige Howard. A diving catch on a grounder to first by first baseman Alden Davis accounted for the second out of the inning, and Smith rolled a 1-3 inning-ending grounder to first off the bat of Luther Woullard to end the threat and preserve a scoreless tie through four innings.
- Sandle drew a leadoff walk in the top of the sixth, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Montiel and moved to third on the play on a throwing error by UNO right-hander Jacob Lamkin, which allowed Montiel to reach first safely, to set up runners at the corners with no outs. Lamkin struck out Davis for the first out of the frame, and rolled a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play off the bat of Donaldson to escape the jam and preserve a scoreless tie.
- Sandle drew a walk to lead off the top of the eighth then stole second with no outs before advancing to third with one out following a sacrifice bunt by Montiel. Davis then ripped a 3-1 pitch into left center field for a one-out RBI double that scored Sandle for a 1-0 Jaguar lead. A wild pitch allowed Davis to move to third with one out. Donaldson drew a one-out walk to put runners at the corners. Cameron Tissue followed with an RBI single to left field to plate Davis and double the Jag lead at 2-0. An error on a failed pickoff attempt by UNO right-hander Haden Erbe allowed Donaldson to advance to third to put runners at the corners with one out. Wilson then delivered an RBI single through the right side of the infield to score Donaldson for a 3-0 advantage. A wild pitch allowed Wilson to move to second and scored Tissue for a 4-0 Jag lead. 
- USA added the game's final run in the top of the ninth on a one-out RBI single up the middle by Donaldson to score Montiel, who reached on a hit by pitch to lead off the inning.

NOTES
- Montiel extended his on-base streak to 12 games, dating back to last season, with a one-out walk in the top of the fourth inning.
- Jaguar right-hander Miles Smith retired the first nine UNO batters he faced before a leadoff double by Salo Iza in the bottom of the fourth snapped the streak. 
- Smith tossed a career-high 5 1/3 scoreless innings, and allowed two hits with a pair of strikeouts and one walk without factoring in the decision. 
- Right-hander Jackson Boyd issued a walk to the first UNO batter he faced before recording five consecutive strikeouts. Boyd tossed a career-high 3 2/3 relief innings and struck out a career-high eight batters against one walk to earn his first career win. 
- Wilson finished 2-for-4 with one RBI and a pair of walks to lead the Jags at the plate. 
- Davis added a double and one RBI, and Donaldson and Tissue recorded one hit and one RBI apiece.
- USA drew 11 walks in the game, marking the first time the Jags have drawn 10 or more walks in a contest since April 23, 2019, when they drew 11 walks at Alabama State.
- The shutout is the first by a South Alabama team since it shut out Gonzaga 2-0 on Feb. 28 last season.

QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi 
- On Miles Smith and Jackson Boyd:
"Those two guys were just outstanding. I think we got seven of our nine leadoff outs; one was a walk and the other was a hit so they (UNO) earned it. Miles (Smith) was outstanding, and it wasn't like he was pitching with a lead. They had some traffic on (base), and they threatened and we threatened. But Miles just being the composed, older guy that he is just made pitches. I thought Coach (Brad) Phillips called a wonderful game tonight, and Reid Powers caught a heck of a game. But those two guys were outstanding on the mound. 

"When we left Oral Roberts, we talked about how you want to try to win every inning but especially winning the last three innings of the ballgame – those leverage innings which we didn't do there, but did tonight. We had a lot of chances and left a bunch of guys on base. Michael Sandle didn't have a great at-bat and left the bases loaded earlier in the game, and he came up in the eighth inning and started it off with a base hit up the middle off of a guy who was 92 to 95 (mph). He started that four-run outburst in the eighth. The game comes back to you and rewards guys who continue to do it right, have the right thoughts and go hard. And tonight we won the last three innings of the ballgame. New Orleans had to handle one good pitcher right to another one, and that's our philosophy; we want to stay the same or get better as the game rolls along when we go to the bullpen. And Jackson Boyd was outstanding today picking up Miles Smith, who was just absolutely phenomenal."

- On the defense:
"Santi (Montiel) made some good plays. Noah Bailey had a couple of balls hit at him early that he made plays on, but Alden Davis was outstanding today all the way around. He had a couple of balls in pressure situations smoked right at him. But the game comes back to you. Guys who work hard, like Alden Davis does – he is always moving. At practice, he doesn't let his guard down defensively. You have seen him really improve defensively to the point now that he is a much better well-rounded ballplayer. All of our guys at first base have done a phenomenal job. They work like crazy, but it was Alden's night tonight. The game rewards guys who work hard. It's such a tough game, and you just keep showing up and throwing punches. There are 27 outs, and nobody got frustrated. I told the team after the game that I think I was the only one who was frustrated. 

"We all know we could have six or seven runs on the scoreboard through the first five or six innings, but we didn't and credit their (UNO) guys for making some pitches. And we had a few bad at-bats in there, but our guys really kept their composure to the point where we didn't have to amp ourselves up. The guys just stayed at a really composed level all game long, and they kept going. Pitching and defense kept us in it until we could pull away late."

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