South Alabama Sports – Weekend Rewind
Baseball
The Jaguar baseball team took two out of three games over the weekend to win the series against Louisiana-Monroe and to improve their record to 19-24 overall and 8-13 in conference play.
In the first game on Friday evening, the Jags used a four-run fourth inning to propel themselves past ULM by a 7-4 score. ULM took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning after a sacrifice fly scored the first run, then a two-out two-run homer supplied the other two runs.
In the bottom of the second inning the Jags plated their first run on a two-out double to right field by Garrett DeGallier which scored Hayden Jones from second base, he had reached base on a walk earlier in the inning.
The Jags tied the score in the bottom of the third inning after Davis Knapp hit a one-out single to left field. Then one batter later, Cole Gleason hit his first career home run over the left-center field wall.
Then the Jags took control with the four-run fourth inning that put the Jags up 7-3.
ULM’s only other run came in the top of the fifth inning with a solo home run over the left-center wall.
Locke St. John picked up the win to improve his record to 5-1. He allowed four runs on four hits with two strikeouts and an walk in 6 2/3 innings. Ben Taylor struck out four with one walk in 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for this first career save.
The Jags clinched the series on Saturday with a 6-5 win at Eddie Stanky Field.
USA jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Davis Knapp lead off the inning with a single to left field. Cameron Cummings’ sacrifice bunt attempt was fielding by the pitcher but he threw it to center field trying to get the force out at second, which allowed Knapp to advance to third and Cummings to second. Cole Gleason then hit his second home run in as many games.
In the top of the fourth ULM scored their first run of the game after an error let the runner reach base. Then a two-out RBI double to left-center scored the lone run of the inning.
USA answered in the bottom of the fourth inning when Knapp reached on a one-out double to the left-center gap. Cummings advanced him to third on a groundout to second base then Gleason drove him in on an RBI single to left field.
The Jags led 6-4 in the top of the seventh as the Warhawks leadoff hitter reached base on a walk. Later he would score on an RBI single to left field to cut the Jaguar lead to one run. The Warhawks would load the bases later in the inning with a walk and a hit batter, but James Traylor would pitch his way out of the jam with a inning-ending flyout to right field that was caught near the warning track.
Kevin Hill picked up the win (3-5) in 5 1/3 inning of work with three earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts and three walks. James Traylor pitched 2 1/3 perfect innings with two strikeouts for his third save of the season.
USA then tried for the weekend sweep. With the Jags down by three runs in the bottom of the ninth, Knapp led off the inning with a double to left field. He then moved to third on a single to center field by Cummings. Matt Wojciechowski then walked to load the bases with no outs. Haydent Jones then delivered a bases-loaded two-run single through the left side of the infield to get within one run of the Warhawks.
Connor Hawthorne would draw a walk to load the bases again then DeGallier then hit a fly to left field which scored JOnes to tie the game at 7 heading into extra innings.
ULM would break the tie in the top of the 11th after a two-out fielding error by shortshot Drew LaBounty allowed the runner to score. The Jags was unable to even the score in the bottom half of the inning.
Softball
The 20th ranked Jaguar softball team swept the weekend series against Western Kentucky to improve their record to 37-10 overall and 14-5 in conference play and clinched the #2 seed in the 2014 SBC Tournament which is quickly approaching.
On Saturday the Jags spoiled Senior Day for the Hilltoppers as they came back from a one run deficit in the top of the seventh inning to take a 3-2 lead and eventually winning by that same score.
WKU scored one run in both the second and third innings to take a 2-0 lead early in the game. Chloe Rathburn led off the top of the fourth with a double to center field then Alyssa Linn pinch-ran for her. Emily Messer would foul out outside of the third base line which allowed Linn to score to cut the Hilltopper lead in half.
USA threatened in the top of the sixth inning with runners on second and third, but a double-play ended the threat.
In the top of the seventh, Amanda Herron and Rathburn each hit RBI doubles to right center to score Kaitlyn Griffith and Jones who was pinch running for Herron.
In game two, the Jags took a 3-0 lead in the second inning when Messer’s two-run single drove in Amanda Minahan and Rathburn. Griffith reached on one of the Hilltoppers five errors on the day, would core on a wild pitch.
WKU would pull within a run a half-inning later as the score was then 3-2.
Rathburn would smash a two-run homer in the top of the fifth to give the Jags a three-run cushion again. WKU would answer by pushing two runs across in the bottom half of the inning to cut the Jaguars lead to one run.
Another wild pitch, this time by Emily Rousseau allowed Blair Johnson to score the final run of the game as the Jags won 6-4.
The Jags exploded for nine runs and tying a season-high with 16 hits in the finale to win by a score of 9-5 to complete the sweep.
Western Kentucky fell to 31-20 overall and 10-8 in conference play. With the weekend sweep WKU is no longer in contention for the second-seed in the SBC Tournament, which USA secured.
Seven Jaguars had multiple hits in the game as Blair Johnson led the way going 3-for-5 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored. Rathburn and Messer each had an RBI and a couple hits between them. Griffith drew a walk, hit by pitch and scored twice.
Minahan, Stephanie Pilkington, Alex Breeden and Taylor Rodgers each got a pair of hits each. They combined for two RBI and two runs scored.
Hannah Campbell got her second win of the series to improve to 16-4 on the season with four strikeouts and no walks and allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits.
Campbell, in game one, scattered nine hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
Farish Beard earned a win on Saturday to improve to 19-5 on the season as she struck out seven with two walks and scattering six hits while allowing four runs, only one earned.