Box Score

BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State plated five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 6-4 series-opening win over the University of South Alabama baseball team Thursday at Beaver Field.

USA (28-19, 14-8 SBC) held a two-run lead after a two-run home run by Ethan Wilson in the top of the seventh inning broke a scoreless tie. But App State (19-29, 10-9 SBC) answered with five runs in the bottom of the seventh, and added an insurance run in the eighth to secure the win, which snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Jaguars.  

NEXT UP
South Alabama will return to action Friday when it faces Appalachian State in game two of the series at 4 p.m. (CT) at Beaver Field in Boone, N.C.

GAME FACTS
- Cam Tissue led off the game with a walk and attempted to score on a one-out double to the right-center field gap by Ethan Wilson, but was put out 9-4-2 on the relay to the plate.
- Wilson reached on a hit by pitch to lead off the top of the sixth, and stole second before Kaleb DeLaTorre drew a one-out walk. Hunter Stokes followed with a single to center field to load the bases with one out for Caleb Balgaard, who popped up to center field for the second out of the frame. App State left-hander Tyler Tuthill then escaped the jam with an inning-ending lineout to left field off the bat of Reid Powers to preserve a scoreless tie. 
- South Alabama took a 2-0 lead in the top of the seventh inning when Wilson lifted a 2-2 pitch from App State right-hander Shane Roberts over the right field wall for his seventh home run of the season.
- App State answered in the bottom of the seventh when Kendall McGowan doubled to right center to lead off the inning, and scored on an RBI single to right field by Robbie Young to cut the USA lead in half at 2-1. A one-out double to left field by Phillip Cole put runners at second and third. Tyler Leek followed with an RBI single to left-center field to tie the score 2-2. The Mountaineers took a 3-2 lead when Carson Arnold reached on a throwing error by Jaguar right-hander Tyler Perez on a sacrifice bunt when Perez's throw sailed high of first base. Alex Leshock followed with an RBI infield single up the third base line to double the App State lead at 4-2. An RBI groundout to third by Bailey Welch gave the Mountaineers a 5-2 lead.
- Stokes led off the top of the eighth with a single up the middle, advanced to second with one out on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out RBI pinch-hit single by Andrew Bates to cut the App State lead to 5-3.
- A two-out RBI double by Cole in the bottom of the eighth doubled the Mountaineer lead to 6-3.
- Sandle scored the game's final run in the top of the ninth with a leadoff solo home run to left field. 

NOTES
- Sandle extended his on-base streak to 16 games with a single in the top of the third inning.  
- DeLaTorre extended his on-base streak to 12 games with a one-out walk in the top of the sixth inning.
- Powers' on-base streak was snapped at 14 games.
- Jaguar right-hander Miles Smith (4-1) suffered his first loss of the season, allowing three runs, two of which were earned, on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
- Sandle went 3-for-5 with a home run, one RBI and two runs scored, and Wilson finished 2-for-4 with one double, one home run, two RBIs, one run scored and one stolen base. Stokes added a pair of hits and one run scored, and Bates had an RBI on a pinch-hit single. 
- Sandle and Wilson have each homered in the last two games.
- USA committed one error in the game, which snapped a four-game errorless streak. 

QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On the loss:
"Miles (Smith) pitched really well. In the seventh inning, there was a leadoff double and a couple of hits and run, but he had been phenomenal for six innings. That seventh inning got sideways. There were a couple of choppers and a blooper over shortstop. We had an out at home on a bunt play that we didn't make – we just weren't good enough in the back-third of the game. We were outstanding the first six innings, but we didn't pitch well enough the last three innings and we left 10 men on base. We got some hits and we had our opportunities to put seven or eight runs on the board, and we just didn't get the big hit. (Reid) Powers lined out deep to left field with the bases loaded and two outs, but it wasn't like last week where we left 12 on and lined out eight times. We just weren't good enough with men on base, and we didn't win the last third of the game on the mound."

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