Box Score

BOONE, N.C. – The University of South Alabama baseball team recorded season highs in runs and hits, and right-hander JoJo Booker tossed a complete game in a 13-3 win over Appalachian State Saturday at Beaver Field.

USA (29-20, 15-9 SBC) clinched the Sun Belt Conference East Division title with the win, which marked the program's 17th Sun Belt championship and first since 2016. 

Booker (7-0) allowed three runs on four hits with nine strikeouts without issuing a walk in seven innings to record his seventh win of the season and first career complete game.

NEXT UP
South Alabama will return to action next week when it opens play at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.

GAME FACTS
- Santi Montiel and Ethan Wilson reached on consecutive singles to start the top of the first inning. Michael Sandle grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, which allowed Montiel to advance to third with two outs. A wild pitch from App State right-hander Trey Tujetsch scored Montiel for a 1-0 Jaguar lead. Hunter Stokes followed with a walk before Kaleb DeLaTorre lifted the first pitch he saw from Tujetsch over the center field wall for a two-run home run and 3-0 USA advantage.
- App State answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first on an RBI triple by Kendall McGowan, and sacrifice fly from Robbie Young to cut the USA lead to 3-2.
- The Jags responded with three runs in the top of the second. Montiel doubled the Jaguar lead to 4-2 when he lifted a 1-1 pitch from Tujetsch over the left field wall for a one-out solo home run. Wilson followed with a single through the left side of the infield, Stokes singled to right field with two outs and DeLaTorre drew a walk to load the bases for Andrew Bates, who delivered a two-out, two-run single to center field to extend the Jag lead to 6-2.
- Stokes led off the top of the fourth with a double to left-center field, and scored one batter later on an RBI single up the middle by DeLaTorre for a 7-2 lead. DeLaTorre advanced to second on a wild pitch before Bates delivered an RBI single up the middle for an 8-2 USA advantage.
- The Jags loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fifth on an infield single by Michael Sandle, and consecutive walks from Stokes and DeLaTorre. Bates followed with an RBI walk to plate Sandle and extend the Jaguar lead to 9-2. Cam Tissue then delivered a three-run double down the left field line to clear the bases and extend the USA lead to 12-2. Richard Sorrenti followed with a sacrifice fly to right field to score Tissue for a 13-2 lead.
- The Mountaineers cut the Jag lead to 13-3 in the bottom of the fifth on a leadoff solo home run to right field by Hayden Cross. 

NOTES
- Sandle extended his on-base streak to 18 games with an infield single to third in the top of the fifth inning.
- The Jags recorded season highs in hits (14) and runs scored (13) in the game.
- Six Jaguars recorded multiple hits in the game, led by Bates who went 2-for-3 with a career-high four RBIs and one run scored. DeLaTorre finished 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored, and Tissue went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a career-high three RBIs and one run scored.
- Booker's complete game is the first by a Jaguar since Matt Boswell on Feb. 26, 2020, against New Orleans, and the first seven-inning complete game since Patrick McBride on April 23, 2019, at Alabama State.
- USA captured the program's 17th Sun Belt Conference title with the victory, the first since 2016 and fourth under head coach Mark Calvi.

QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On JoJo Booker:
"JoJo was phenomenal, especially backing up a start which was statistically his best last weekend. To back it up with this start just showed me his maturity and focus. He knew this was a big game, but every game we have played this year has been a big game. It just came down to today. But I thought JoJo was phenomenal – no walks and nine strikeouts. He was fantastic. I felt really confident last night when we left the park with JoJo on the mound today. I don't sleep a lot anyways, but I slept OK knowing that JoJo had the ball today. I thought we would have to win 10-8 today with the wind blowing out. It had one of those offensive feelings to it. But when we scored three in the second inning and JoJo put up a zero in the bottom of that inning and then got his third straight leadoff out then I knew he was dialed in. As soon as JoJo answered back by getting his leadoff outs consecutively, I started to feel a little more comfortable. I give so much credit to him, he was phenomenal today."

- On the offense:
"Our 5-6-7 hitters had 10 RBIs today. Our guys really swung the bats well. Santi got us started and then hit a home run on a breaking ball in his next at-bat. (Kaleb) DeLaTorre and (Andrew) Bates both had big days at the plate, and (Cameron) Tissue had a big bases-clearing double; that was a big hit. The guys up and down the lineup swung the bat really well.."

- On winning the SBC East Division:
"To have the best record in the league and win it outright like our guys did was such a team effort. There are role players – guys who didn't play a lot who were selfless. Everyone has bought into the team concept, and they have all hung in there and pulled together. We've had ups and downs, and they did a great job with Covid and all of the early testing in the mornings after getting back late from road trips. Our guys stayed the course. Every baseball season has its ups and downs and we had our share, but our guys never quit. They're very level-headed, and never too high or too low. They weren't out there dogpiling. They know we have to go into the tournament and do work in it. We were in position a couple of weeks ago for an at-large bid, but our guys know they just need to keep winning the next game in front of them, keep showing up and playing hard. It doesn't shock me that this group won an overall championship. I can't say enough good things about them as a unit, and how much they love the program and how much they cared. They showed up every single day and gave their all."

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).

Join the Dugout Club - the baseball-specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. Members enjoy all games from inside the Stadium Club with climate control, private restrooms, private concessions and access to listen to the radio broadcast. All donations to the Dugout Club go directly to support the South Alabama baseball program. For more information on how you can join visit JaguarAthleticFund.com.