MOBILE, Ala. - South Alabama (21-26, 10-16 SBC) won game one of the doubleheader with a walkoff three-RBI home run in the seventh inning for the run rule, then needed 12 innings to walk off App State (21-28, 11-15 SBC) in game two, both by the bat of Ty Brooks.

GAME 1
The Mountaineers scored a run in the top of the first, followed by a four-spot third inning for the Jaguars off an Ethan Melton single, a wild pitch, and a two-RBI single from Lucas Ismaili that gave the 4-1 lead to South. With bases loaded in the fifth, Duncan Mathews scored one on a walk.

Dalton Brooks opened the game with 4.0 innings for only four hits allowed and four strikeouts. He was relieved by Jaxon Shineflew for 3.0 innings, giving up one hit and striking out two in the final three innings.

The bottom of the seventh saw an offensive explosion by the Jaguars. After two runners reached, Kyle Morrison loosed his ninth home run of the season, and was then followed up by Lucas Ismaili launching his seventh home run of the year. This marks the first time the Jaguars have hit back-to-back home runs in a game since Rett Johnson and Nathan Wood hit back-to-back homers at App State in the first game of the series in 2024. 

Ty Brooks then hit the run-rule requirements with a three-run shot to earn his first walk-off of the day, 12-1.

Win: Dalton Brooks (3-1)
Save: Jaxon Shineflew (3)
Loss: Caleb Cross (6-4)

GAME 2
Morrison put the Jags on the board in the first with an RBI single, then John Smith III batted in a run in the second on a sac fly. 

The third, fourth, and fifth innings remained quiet, but App State scored their first run in the sixth via a sac fly. Mitchell Heer then pitched the seventh inning and ended his day with 7.0 innings, four hits, four strikeouts, one run, and one walk allowed. Ismaili doubled another run home in the bottom of the seventh for the 3-1 lead. 

App State's solo home run in the eighth inning cut the Jaguar lead in half, and the Mountaineers tied it up on a single, then an RBI triple in the top of the ninth inning. Despite loading the bases in the bottom of the ninth, South was unable to break the 3-3 tie, leading to extra-innings. 

The 10th was its own rollercoaster, with App State's leadoff hitter striking a single to set up the two-run home run for the 5-3 lead. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Ethan Melton reached on a double, starting a chain of doubles. Brooks scored Melton and replaced him at second, then Holt lined a ball into the right side power alley to score Brooks before getting tagged in his slide attempt to third, ending the inning 5-5.

John Gillis held App State silent in the 11th, and earned the first out of the 12th before giving way to Andrew Floyd, who earned the final two outs of the inning. 

Josh Stevenson drilled a triple into right-center, only 90 feet from ending the game. Ty Brooks again plated the game-ending run, this time on a short, driving single over the pitcher's head and into the outfield. 

Win: Andrew Floyd (1-1)
Loss: Collin Welch (0-3)

QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi

On the pitching in game one: Dalton Brooks and Shineflew were fantastic. The
number said to start Brooks and to put Shineflew in the pen, you know. And they both just performed like you needed them to. And we swung the bats really well. Obviously
our pitching kept down a really good offense. Our pitchers held them 0-9 with runners on. I mean that that's huge. When hitters can hit with runners on, those are guys that earn their money. When pitchers make pitches with runners on, those are guys that earn their money, because pitchers are gonna have more runners on than they're not. Just things happen behind them, blocks, error, whatever bad calls. Our guys really showed some grit today and the will to win and just fire. And I just, I don't have enough good things to say about this team the way they've practiced. 

On the team's resilience in game two: We've been knocked to the mat. We're not there yet, but just the resilience of this team that they've shown. You know, we've had some injuries, we've had some tough breaks, got some tough games. We've had some things not go our way, and our guys, you know, we've been knocked to the mat, and they keep getting up and throwing punches. So that's what we did today. We got knocked to the mat. Got down by two, and we came back and tied it up. And, you know, got runners on, made pitches, and then finally, you know, with the go-ahead run in the second game. But looking at the second second game, Mitch was absolutely phenomenal. You know, wind blowing out, 7-10 mile an hour, wind blowing out. I mean, seven innings, and Mitch didn't want to come out of the game. That was my call. One could wonder why you take Mitch out when you gotta win. Number one; I trusted Gillis and Floyd. That's the main thing. He (Heer) threw 122 pitches last week. He was at 82. Maybe Mitch finishes the game, but he gave us such an unbelievable effort last week, and we're coming back on a short week next week, and I had all the faith in the world and the guys that we had down in the bullpen, and if Mitch could have taken one swing at me, if it was allowed, he would have. He did not want to come out, and I didn't want him to be okay with it. But I think he has a career ahead of him. And, you know, sometimes you gotta protect these guys from themselves. Mitch probably would have gone out there and finished the game, but you got to have trust in guys in behind them, and that's what we did. So, our guys, just the fight  and the will just to keep playing hard and, you know, getting punched in the gut and getting up and punching back and getting punched again and punching back, I'm just so proud of the team's resilience and toughness. I told them, you know, having the will, morale and having the will is huge. If you lose that, you're done. And our guys, we talked about the will that I've seen them have all throughout the year. You know, it hasn't always gone our way, obviously, but the guys have never not shown up and at practice on Tuesday in an intersquad, I saw the will. It was there, and I told him about it and you saw it today.  So our guys, they just have great fight and will, all day long, against a very solid club, against a very good offense. And, man, I'm just so proud of this team and just their fight. That's the best way I can put it. 

UP NEXT
South Alabama will look to complete their first sweep since 2022, with the series finale against App State set to start at 12 p.m.

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