| 06/03/05
– FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JAGS
FALL , 13-5 TO AUBURN IN OPENING ROUND OF NCAA TOURNAMENT
CONTACT-
Kevin Beasley
Box
Score
TALLAHASSEE,
Fla.-
The University of South Alabama baseball team dropped a13-5 decision
to Auburn Friday afternoon in the opening round of the Tallahassee
Regional of
the 59th annual NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Tournament
at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.
"Auburn
came out the shoot today and really swung the bat well," said
South Alabama baseball head coach Steve Kittrell. "The six
run inning by then sort of broke our backs, but we tried to battle
back. They answered us right back though and we never could get
it any closer. You have to tip your cap to Auburn. I think the lay-off
for the really helped. They seemed really fresh and swung the bats
well today and just outplayed us."
South
Alabama (35-26) grabbed the early advantage when with two outs in
the top of the second inning, catcher Joel Collins belted his second
home run of the season over the wall in left to give the Jags an
1-0 lead.
The
Tigers (33-24) quickly tied the game back up in the bottom half
of the innning on a Jeff Boutwell homer to left on a 3-2 pitch off
Jag Starter P.J. Walters.
Auburn
took the lead for good in the bottom of the third with six runs.
Bruce Edwards reached on an error to start the inning and stole
second three pitches later. Edwards came around to score two batters
later on a Johnstone single to center. AU expanded the lead to 6-1
when Clete Thomas and Karl Amonite each blasted a pair of two-run
home runs to right center. With two outs, Edwards, batting for the
second time in the inning, singled home Russell Dixon from second
to make it 7-1.
AU
added one more run in the fifth to expand its lead to seven.
Ben
Froemming started a Jag rally in the sixth when he drew a lead-off
walk. The South Alabama right fielder came then into score when
Patrick Weaver doubled off the wall in left. With one out, Josh
Morgan lifted his 17th home run of the season, a two-run shot, to
cut the lead to 8-4.
In
the seventh, USA kept chipping away at the Tiger advantage (8-5).
Guillermo Martinez reached on a lead-off walk and came into score
on David Freese's RBI single to left.
Auburn
answered right back in the bottom of the seventh with three runs,
two on a bases loaded one-out single by Donaldson and the other
on a RBI single by Bruce Edwards. The Tigers added two more in the
eighth to make it 13-5.
Eight
Tigers recorded multiple hits for AU on Friday, led by Donaldson's
3-for-5 performance. USA was paced by Quendon Montgomery and Collins'
two hits apiece.
Hughey
picked up the win (8-4), while Walters fell to 10-7. The Jags will
take on the loser of the Army/Florida State game Saturday at 1 p.m.
Eastern.
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