Box Score

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Kenny Rodriguez hit a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Little Rock to a 9-8 win over University of South Alabama baseball Sunday at Gary Hogan Field.

Little Rock (15-13, 6-3 SBC) faced an 8-4 deficit entering the bottom of the ninth after South Alabama (16-13, 5-4 SBC) plated a run in the top of the ninth inning on a bases-loaded RBI walk by Tommy van de Sanden. But the Trojans sent seven batters to the plate in the ninth and scored five runs on four hits in the inning to secure a three-game sweep of the series.

NEXT UP
South Alabama will return to action Tue., April 13 with a 6 p.m. contest against Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Miss.

GAME FACTS
- USA took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Cameron Tissue led off the game with a single up the middle, moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a fielder's choice off the bat of Ethan Wilson. Hunter Stokes followed with an RBI single through the right side of the infield to plate Tissue with the game's first run. Tommy van de Sanden drew a two-out walk to load the bases for Richard Sorrenti, flied out to left field for the final out of the frame.
- Kobe Barnum led off the bottom of the third with a walk, and eventually scored on a wild pitch from Jaguar right-hander JoJo Booker to tie the score 1-1. Nathan Lyons followed with an RBI groundout to first that scored Eldrige Figueroa, who reached on a double to right field earlier in the inning for a 2-1 advantage.
- The Trojans pushed their lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double to left field by Rodriguez.
- Bennett Shell led off the top of the fifth with a single to right field, stole second and later scored when Michael Sandle lifted a 2-2 pitch from Trojan right-hander Jacob Weatherly to tie the score 3-3.
- Brandon Auerbach led off the top of the seventh with a single to shortstop, and advanced to second on a fielder's choice sacrifice bunt by Bennett Shell after Little Rock left-hander Jack DeCooman's throw to second to attempt to put out Auerbach sailed wide of the bag. Tissue advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt before Sandle delivered a one-out, two-run double to right field to plate Auerbach and Shell for a 5-3 Jaguar advantage. Ethan Wilson was intentionally walked, and a wild pitch allowed Sandle and Wilson to move to third and second, respectively. Stokes then reached on a fielding error by Trojan first baseman Barnum that allowed Sandle and Wilson to score for a 7-3 Jag lead.
- Little Rock cut the Jag lead to 7-4 in the bottom of the eighth on a one-out RBI single to center field by Kenny Rodriguez.
- Tissue led off the top of the ninth with a hit by pitch, and Sandle followed with a walk. A wild pitch moved both into scoring position, and Little Rock intentionally walked Wilson to load the bases with no outs. Tommy van de Sanden drew a two-out walk later in the inning to score Tissue and double the USA lead at 8-4.
- Little Rock loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth, and cut the USA lead to 8-6 on a one-out, two-run single to right field by Tyler Williams. A wild pitch with two outs by Tyler Samaniego allowed Jorden Hussein to score and cut the lead to 8-7. Rodriguez then delivered a two-run walk-off home run to right field.

NOTES
- Shell recorded his first hit of the season, which came in the form of a single through the right side of the infield to lead off the top of the fifth inning.
- Sandle extended his on-base streak to six games with a walk in the top of the first, and extended his hitting streak to four games with a two-run home run in the fifth inning.
- Sandle finished 2-for-3 with a double, one home run, a season-high four RBIs and two runs scored.
- Stokes added one hit and tied his career-high in RBIs with three.
- Jaguar right-hander Jackson Boyd tossed 3 2/3 scoreless relief innings, and struck out four against one walk.
- The three-game sweep marked Little Rock's first-ever over South Alabama.

QUOTES    
Head Coach Mark Calvi 
- On the loss: 
"It was a really tough weekend. Our guys fought hard. We were in position to win. (Jackson) Boyd was really good out of the bullpen, and Jase (Dalton) and (Tyler) Samaniego have been guys we have leaned on. Samaniego had earned the right to win that game or lose that game. He's been our guy – he and Jase. They have been our leverage guys, and today it didn't go our way. I would do it again if I had to do it all over again. I would leave Samaniego out there. He punched out the four-hole hitter right before the home run. (Kenny) Rodriguez just got one up in the wind and it went out to right field. That is some of the pitfalls of playing here. You get one up in the wind, it is a short porch and it goes out. Give Rodriguez credit for hitting it, but I look back on it and we lost with the right guy on the mound; he's been good for us all year long. 

"I was proud of the way our guys fought. We didn't cash in – we had our chances to score several more runs. But after losing two (games) we came back and fought all game long. I was proud of some guys' efforts. Brandon Auerbach played well, and Michael Sandle swung the bat well. We just need to be more consistent offensively. We could have had 10 or 11 runs, we left a few out there, but it's over and the only way I know how to improve anything is by working hard and that's what we'll do. We'll go back to work and keep trying to get a little bit better."

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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