Box Score

MOBILE, Ala. – Jaguar right-hander Matt Boswell struck out nine in eight innings to lead the University of South Alabama baseball team to a 7-1 series-opening win over Arkansas State Friday at Eddie Stanky Field.

Boswell (6-3) allowed one run on six hits with nine strikeouts and one walk in eight innings to earn his sixth win of the season. South Alabama (25-19, 11-11 SBC) plated four runs in the bottom of the first inning on a pair of two-run home runs by Will Turner and Hunter Stokes, and added three runs in the bottom of the fifth.

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Saturday when it hosts Arkansas State (10-30, 5-16 SBC) at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field. 

GAME FACTS
- Erick Orbeta led off the top of the first with a single up the middle, and Will Turner followed with a two-run home run over the right field wall for a 2-0 Jaguar lead. Miles Simington followed with a double to the left-center field gap before Hunter Stokes delivered a two-run home run to right field for a 4-0 Jag advantage. Santi Montiel then doubled down the left field line.
- USA loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth on a leadoff double down the line by Stokes, a one-out walk by Landon Jordan and Joe Sutton reached on a hit by pitch as a pinch-hitter. Hunter Donaldson then delivered an RBI single to right field to score Stokes for a 5-0 USA lead. A two-out, two-run double down the left field line by Orbeta gave the Jags a 7-0 lead.
- Arkansas State scored the game's final run on a two-out RBI single up the middle by Jacob Hager.

NOTES
- Turner extended his on-base streak to 31 games with a two-run home run to right field in the bottom of the first.  
- Altamirano extended his on-base streak to 29 games with a two-out walk in the bottom of the third.  
- Orbeta extended his on-base streak to 27 games with a leadoff single up the middle in the bottom of the first.  
- Montiel extended his on-base streak to 16 games with a double down the left field line in the bottom of the first. 
- Eight Jaguar starters hit safely in the game, led by Stokes, who went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored. Orbeta finished 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and one run scored, and Turner added a home run, two RBIs and one run scored.
- USA improved to 24-3 when outhitting the opposition this season with 10 hits versus the Red Wolves' seven.

Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On Matt Boswell:
"He was the story of the game, that and our defense behind him. I thought he was outstanding. Boz put us on his back, we scored some runs early for him and he took us home."

- On the offense:
"Will (Turner) and (Hunter) Stokes with the home runs, Miles (Simington) and Santi (Montiel) with the doubles kind of jumped him and then he (ASU starter Justin Medlin) really settled in and took it up another notch. He was up another two miles per hour, his changeup was really good and he found his breaking ball. That guy gives people some trouble on Friday nights, and when he got settled in he gave us trouble. But credit our hitters, we were ready to go. He made some mistakes early, we hit a couple of good pitches and scored some runs to give a little bit of breathing room to start the ballgame."

RHP Matt Boswell 
- On the four-run first inning:
"That's always a huge help, punching someone in the mouth. I call it stealing hearts, you start stealing hearts one at a time from the other dugout. Mentally it takes a toll on somebody, and it always help to punch somebody first."

- On what pitches were working for him:
"Tonight everything - the changeup when I needed it later, the curveball and fastball. It wasn't one of those days where I felt like I could stick my fastball exactly where I wanted to; I had a little more run on it than I anticipated, but as the game went along being able to settle in and know that I had to lean on some offspeed pitches and it was there knocking at the door."

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