MOBILE, Ala. -Â Jaguars walk off the Colonels in 10 innings in a roller coaster midweek challenge as South Alabama notches the 2,000th program win.
USA struck first with three runs in the opening frame highlighted by a Brennan Holt double. The Jags added another two over the next two innings after Will Turner put himself in scoring position with a double and a steal, then an Ethan Melton double in the third.
Mitchell Heer logged the start, pitching 2.0 innings letting in one run before Jaxon Shineflew took the reins for 3.0 innings of one-hit ball. The Jags then lost control in the sixth as Nicholls State put runners on first and third base before making them destination spots for the rest of the lineup, lining up singles for runners to move first, to third, then home, until Cooper Cooksey left two stranded with the Colonels only one run behind.Â
South Alabama's bats went cold as only three safely reached base over the next three innings, with no success able to be strung together. Nicholls State landed the tying runner home after the bases were loaded from two walks and a struck batter, before an erroneous let a Colonel advance home safely. They then turned up the heat by taking the lead in the ninth off a well-executed small ball. Turner, to keep the game alive, reached base via a walk leading into dire back-to-back fly outs. Lucas Ismaili then stepped up with a single through right field followed by a Holt RBI single to cut the lead to one. Melton drew a walk to fill the bases and Micah Morgan stayed disciplined at the plate to force the game-tying RBI walk.Â
South got into trouble in the 10th, after a single, a double, electing to walk a batter for bases loaded, then hitting another to let one in with only one out. Another strikeout from Leif Moore left only one more out needed, but Nicholls State scored another through patience at the plate by a walk. The Jags took over on offense after a groundout, with Tyler Borges singling as the leadoff hitter. Turner then put both him and Borges in scoring position with a double to the right field corner. Bell sent both home off a single for the tie, then the Colonels intentionally walked Sullivan which led to a sac bunt by Ryan Storey to put Bell on third. The Colonels then intentionally walked Holt to set up Melton at the plate. With two strikes, Melton swung at a wild pitch, sending Bell home on the walk-off win.
Winning Pitcher:Â
Leif Moore (1-0)
Losing Pitcher:Â Arturo Rodriguez (0-1)
QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi:
Overall thoughts:Â I thought we played really good baseball through five innings and then we got flat and I think we figured we had it. Things were going our way playing really good baseball and punching guys out. I mean we're to hitting them through five, leadoff walk in the sixth and then gave up, you know, five hits in a row and they kept going, you know, first and third with us and they tied it up went ahead and you know, wind was blowing in, we would have hit at least three home runs tonight the easily but every ball stayed in the park. We got a little sloppy on the mound, the hit by pitches and some walks and, really not walks but just free passes, and they strung together some hits and strung together a big inning and next thing you know you look up and we're behind. Our guys, we were down to our last out or the last inning twice, and credit our guys for hanging in there and fighting. But lesson learned. I told them "You got to play all nine innings, 27 outs and I thought we played 15 today and then we had to kind of rally and we were fortunate enough to do some things at the end and get a victory.
On new pitchers taking control of a game:Â Yeah, (Gant) Starling came in and picked up (Logan) Wash, and Wash had picked up (Cooper) Cooksey. We've done a good job of coming in, in a leverage situation and putting the fire out. This is probably the fourth or fifth time this year that we've had a guy come in in our nine games, and when the game is on the line, go ahead and get it done. It's the following inning that we need to be better at, but they're getting it done when the game's on the line in that inning when it's a little bit hairy. So yeah, I thought Wash did a really nice job. Gant did a great job coming in and bailing him out, and then got into some trouble in his second inning, and (Grant) Wood did a fantastic job kind of holding things right there and then, Leif Moore on the mound and, that would have been a little bit different if we field the ground ball, a lot different that inning. To Leif's credit, he didn't buckle, he stayed out there and kept throwing it across the plate and got us back into the dugout.
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