MOBILE, Ala. | Austin Thrasher led South Alabama with three hits on Tuesday night in a midweek contest against New Orleans at Stanky Field, but none bigger than his eighth inning grand slam that led the Jaguars to a 10-7 victory.
Thrasher stepped to the plate with bases full and worked the count to 3-2 before taking a fastball over the left field wall to clear the bases and give South Alabama the 10-6 lead at the time. He finished the night 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and four RBI, while
Will Turner finished 3-for-6 with three RBI and double.
Erick Orbeta finished 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and a double, and
Joseph Sullivan finished 2-for-4 on the night.
Grant Wood (2-0), the last of five pitchers, picked up the win by working 1.2 innings and allowing three runs on five hits, while
Mitchell Heer went 3.0 innings in relief and allowed just two hits with three strikeouts.
Logan Wash and
Zach Willingham combined for 2.1 innings and allowed just one run on one hit with three strikeouts.
How It Happened
- (T1) Miguel Useche homered to center field, New Orleans 1-0.
- (B1) Turner with an RBI groundout to score Orbeta, 1-1.
- (T3) Tristan Moore recorded a sacrifice fly before an RBI single through the left side by Jeissy De la Cruz, New Orleans 3-1.
- (B4) Turner singled through the left side to drive in Colson Lawrence and Orbeta before JG Bell delivered a two-run double. The inning ended on a Sullivan single up the middle to score Bell, South Alabama 6-3.
- (T8) New Orleans used three RBI singles to tie the game, 6-6.
- (B8) Thrasher connected a grand slam – his first home run of the season, South Alabama 10-6.
- (T9) Kasten Furr scored on a wild pitch, South Alabama 10-7.
Up Next
The Jags hit the road for a three-game series at Jacksonville State beginning on Friday night with all three games featured on ESPN+.
Quotable, head coach Mark Calvi
You still have some questions that need to be answered, but some were answered tonight including a big at-bat by Austin Thrasher …
"Great night by
Austin Thrasher, we knew he was a good player. We had some guys who are doing well, it is impossible to keep 14 guys sharp in 13 games, our guys know that, and I am not going to put a guy in and take him for a game, that is the wrong mindset. I had a feel for tonight in that spot versus a left handed pitcher, you look at Thrasher's numbers from last year and he was hitting .360 early in the season. We have a lot of information at our hands and if you aren't using it, you're foolish. I pulled it up and saw it, my assistants are fantastic at that, and it wasn't even a gut feel. He is a good player; he is going to help us win. I have been saying it all along."
Pitching tonight …
"I thought Smitty (Tyler) was okay, his velo tapers off. He was 92-93 early and then that last inning he had some 87-88s in there. That is something he needs to work on, he did some good things tonight. I. just thought that was the time to get him out and
Mitchell Heer settled it down. He was great.
Logan Wash in the one inning, Willingham, those guys were really good. Woody has been our horse, we had some guys not available tonight, so he had to go. That was his last hitter if we didn't get him out, and we needed to go to Colson (Lawrence) out there, two weeks ago he was outstanding. I think he will help us there as well."
The last inning, the guys fought at the plate …
"The bottom of the sixth and seventh we had a runner at third and one out, then had the bases loaded and didn't get it done. To our guys' credit they didn't hang their heads and got the job done.
Will Turner has been big for us all year and did it again tonight. We didn't get it done with the bases loaded and you're watching the guys' reaction and seeing how they are, and our guys never gave up. Good offense tonight and another game with no errors – the second in a row – I am proud of the guys."
Follow the Jags
For complete coverage of University South Alabama baseball, follow the Jaguars on social media @SouthAlabamaBSB (Twitter), /SouthAlabamaAthletics (Facebook), @southalabamabsb on Instagram, or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at USAJaguars.com.
