03/11/06–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JAGS DEFEAT COASTAL CAROLINA 10-2 AND GEORGIA
SOUTHERN 9-8
CONTACT:
Kevin Sytko
Game
One Box
Game
Two Box
MOBILE, Ala. -The University
of South Alabama baseball team (13-6) picked up a pair of victories
Saturday with wins over Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern at
Stanky Field.
"Whatever
sport you play confidence is very important," said Jaguar head
coach Steve Kittrell. "We look like a team that is trying to
gain some confidence after a tough loss to Alabama."
GAME 1: USA 10, Costal Carolina 2
South Alabama took advantage of 11 Chanticleer walks in the opener
and Patrick Weaver went 3-for-5, driving in three runs in a 10-2
Jag win over Coastal Carolina Saturday afternoon at Stanky Field.
Zach Piccola
picked up the win for South Alabama, improving to 1-1. Kevin Marrie
took the loss for CCU and dropped to 2-2. Ben Daw also collected
two hits and scored one run.
The Jags got
on the board in the first inning when they batted around. Tyler
Jones led off with a rocket double off the right field wall. Patrick
Weaver then dropped a beautiful bunt single up the third base line,
putting runners at the corners with nobody out. David Freese walked
to load the bases and Jeff Cunningham drew a bases loaded walk to
plate the first Jag run. Guillermo Martinez became the fifth consecutive
Jaguar to reach base when he ripped a double into the right center
field gap, plating all three runners. Martinez later moved to third
when Michael Cart executed team baseball grounding to second base.
CCU starter Kevin Marrie then uncorked a wild pitch to score Martinez,
giving South Alabama a 5-0 lead.
Costal Carolina
finally got on the board in the top of the sixth on a Mike Fuentes
sacrifice fly.
South Alabama
added to its lead in the bottom of the sixth. Daw and Jones both
drew walks to open the inning. After Weaver struck out, Freese walked
to load the bases. Cunningham picked up his second RBI of the game
when he lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, plating Daw for a
6-1 USA lead. Michael Cart then ripped a single up the middle, scoring
Jones and Freese, increasing the Jaguar advantage to 8-1.
In the bottom
of the seventh, the Jags added two more runs on one hit. CCU walked
three men in the inning. Weaver and Cunningham, picked up RBI’s
as the Jags pushed the lead to 10-1.
CCU’s
final run came in the top of the ninth when pinch hitter Matt Sutton
lifted a home run to right center.
David Doss,
Kevin Nabors and Mike Koppersmith combined to allow just five hits
and did not allow a walk on the afternoon.
GAME 2: USA
9, Georgia Southern 8
The first inning
of game two saw each team get on the board. The Eagles got the scoring
started with a leadoff single by Chris Hollis, who subsequently
stole second base. Griffin Benedict then moved Hollis up a base
with a ground ball to second base. Greg Dowling then plated Hollis
with a solid single to right field.
USA answered
with a single run with one of its own. Tyler Jones led off the inning
with a bunt single and then stole second when he beat the relay
of the pick off throw from the pitcher to first base to second.
Patrick Weaver then moved Jones to third with a ground ball to second.
David Freese collected his 25th RBI of the season with a ground
out to second base evening the score at 1-1.
South Alabama
flexed some muscle in the bottom of the third inning. Weaver launched
a monster home run to left field that bounced off of the scoreboard.
Michael Cart later singled sharply to left and Guillermo Martinez
gave USA its second home run of the inning when the Jag Junior took
an Everett Teaford offering deep to left field for his third home
run of the season, increasing the Jag lead to 4-1.
The Jaguars
added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth with two runs on
one hit. Joel Collins scored on a Patrick Weaver RBI single up the
middle and Jeff Morris scored when Teaford balked on a pick-off
attempt to first base. The score at the end of four was USA 6, Georgia
Southern 1.
Georgia Southern
responded to the Jag two spot with two runs of their own. Three
consecutive singles did the damage against USA starter Joey Doan.
Griffin Benedict and Dowling both picked up RBI’s, while cutting
the USA lead to 6-3.
The Eagles scored
a singled run in the top of the sixth inning when GSU right fielder
Derek Smith took a Doan offering deep to right center field. Smith’s
third home run of the season cut the Jag lead to 6-4.
South Alabama
plated two insurance runs to answer back in the bottom of the sixth.
With two on and two out Freese rocketed a double into the left center
field gap, scoring Jones and Weaver.
Georgia Southern
did not go away and kept chipping away at the Jaguar lead again
in the top of the seventh. A walk and a hit batter came back to
haunt USA reliever David Doss. Brett Pelfrey lashed a double down
the left field line to drive in both runners, making the score 8-6.
The Eagles trailed
by as many as five runs, but came all the way back to tie the game
in the top of the eighth inning. Doss gave up a leadoff walk, which
was followed by a single by Chris Shehan. Doss managed to retire
Brian Pierce, but gave up a two-run triple to Chris Hollis to tie
the game at eight. Chase Christianson was summoned from the bullpen
and the Jag reliever got Benedict to ground out and punched out
Mike Economus on a wicked slider to end the inning and limit the
damage to two runs.
For the second
time in three games, South Alabama saved its heroics til its last
at bat. Martinez reached on an error by GSU short stop Brian Pierce
to start the inning. The Jag junior was moved around to third on
a Jeff Cunningham ground out. Lance Heisler, making just his fifth
at bat in a USA uniform, came to the plate and bounced a ball over
GSU reliever David Cogswell to score Martinez and give the Jaguars
their 13th victory of the season.
Patrick Weaver led five Jags with multiple hit performances on the
night. The left fielder was 3-for-5 with two RBI’s. Hollis
led the Eagle attack with three hits and two RBI’s of his
own.
Christianson
(1-1) picked up the win in relief, while Cogswell dropped to 0-2.
South Alabama
and Georgia Southern will face each other again on Sunday with first
pitch scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
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