MOBILE, Ala. - South Alabama (11-12, 1-5) falls in the rubber match to Louisiana (11-14, 3-3) to end the weekend series.
The Jags were hit hard in the first inning, with the Ragin' Cajuns scoring five runs in the opening frame to sway momentum to the away dugout. South, despite getting two runners on base in the first three innings, couldn't get them the final 90 feet to cut into the Cajun lead.
A solo home run in the third made the score 6-0, then was upped to 8-0 after the fourth.Â
The Jags worked through the bullpen for the rest of the game, playing eight total pitchers on the day. The eighth inning saw Louisiana's final run, with a bases loaded hit–by-pitch scoring their final run.Â
The Jags scored three runs in the final inning, started by
John Smith III, who hit a single in all five of his at-bats today.
Kyle Morrison knocked a single to send Smith to third, and
Mike Young, pinch hit, hit a single to score Smith. Pinch hitter
Ryan Storey then followed it up with a screaming double that ricocheted off the wall and scored both Morrison and Young. The rally fell short a batter later with an infield fly to end the game, 9-3.
Win: J.R. Tollett (2-2)
Save: Tate Hess (1)
Loss: Chase Davis (1-2)
QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi
On the story of the game: They jumped us early, down five nothing in the first.
Chase Davis has been much better than that. Some free passes and then a couple extra base hits. They left guys on, we left 13 on, the difference was they had extra base hits with men on. We did not. So we got 11 or 12 singles today. We hung in there. We competed at the plate. We just didn't do it with men on, and we didn't get the big extra base hit when we needed it. They did, and that was the story of the game. They out-pitched us, and they got bigger hits than we did when it mattered. We left a bunch of guys on, up and down the line. We didn't get our lead off guy on.We might have got one lead off guy on base all game long. Yesterday, we did. We got on base early in the inning, and today we just didn't get the hit when we needed it. You know, you have men on. You hit a double with first and second on and one out, and next thing you know, it's five two. You got some momentum. You chip away, chip away, chip away. We just didn't get that big momentum-swinging hit. We did not make the pitch to swing momentum back our way. It felt like UL had momentum all game long, and that was the case. We did not have momentum ever in today's game. Not one second did we have momentum. We had some guys on we could have grabbed it and we didn't get it done so credit them they beat us. They pitched better, they played better than we did today. And this weekend, and we lost the series.
UP NEXT
South Alabama will travel up to Montgomery for a neutral site matchup against No. 20 Auburn in Riverwalk Stadium, with first pitch set for 6 p.m.
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