MOBILE, Ala. - South Alabama (6-5) routed Jacksonville (4-6), 15-1 in seven innings to even the weekend series, helmed by stellar pitching. 

South Alabama opened up the scoring in the second inning with five batters in a row reaching base with a 2-0 lead on a Rett Johnson RBI single and Duncan Mathews walking in a run in a bases loaded scenario. A pair of fielder's choices scored two more, then a Kyle Morrison double scored another. 

The third inning was a short continuation of the second. Robert Miranda scored one hitting into a fielder's choice, followed by a Duncan Mathews RBI single. The fourth inning was relatively quiet with neither team scoring, but the Dolphins scored their only run off an error. The Jags responded by doubling their score. 

Mathews struck another RBI single, with Brennan Holt and John Smith following suit. Morrison then rocked a three-run homer to right field and Ismaili then hit an RBI double before the end of the inning. Josh Stevenson scored one more run in the sixth after entering the game as a pinch hitter.

All of the scoring was on the back of Zach Willingham's stellar 6.0 innings with only two hits given up and three walks allowed for his first win of the season and the first quality start from a Jag this season. John Gillis entered the game for the final inning to earn all three outs as strikeouts, only allowing a single through the infield. 

Win: Zach Willingham (1-1)
Loss: Blake Barquin (1-2)

QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi

On today's game: Yeah, we've been ganged up on a couple times and we've talked about being able to gang up on a pitcher, and that's by playing team offense, and that's by having good at bat after good at that's why having good three good at bats in a row, that's how you gang up on somebody. That's how you score. We had some really good at bats. Took some walks, like (Greg) Pettay had some great walks in there. Some guys had some great walks in there. They laid off some borderline pitches. You know, we had six walks in there. Holt had a couple really good at bats. Zambo had some really good at bats with two strikes. Duncan had a great at bat early in the game that drew a walk. So, yeah, I was proud of our effort, you know, across the board. I really was, you know, the game starts and stops on the mound. I will say that ad nauseam, because it's true, and it started and stopped with Willingham, man. He two-hit those guys, you know, that came out and got, you know, 10 hits last night. Very aggressive hitting ball club, and he held 88 to 90 the whole game through 100 pitches. 

On the pitching today: Willingham was fantastic. Gillis was really good out of the pen. This was a complete, aside from the error, this was a complete game. And Willingham just kept that. He never let them get momentum. You know, they'd be 2-0 and maybe get a little something going the first the first inning, he threw 30 pitches, or he would probably finish the whole thing. They had a little momentum in the first with some men on and he just made pitches. Every time he'd go 2-0, he'd get back 2-1, get to 2-2. He kept any little bit of momentum he gave to him he had snatched back within the next pitch or two. So that's what good pitchers do. We're going to need him to be like that going forward. And he's just tough to hit. He's just really, he's one of those guys that are super hard to square up. It's not 95 you know, it's not like nasty breaking stuff. He probably threw 80% fastballs today. And you know, when he's at your belt and at the top of the zone, he's tough to deal with. And as long as we  play defense behind him in the outfield, he's going to get fly balls because just like weaker contact. 

UP NEXT
South Alabama will play Jacksonville in the rubber match on Sunday, March 2, at 1 p.m.

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