Jaguar Baseball Comes From Behind To Defeat Alabama State 12-11
South Alabama faced a four-run deficit going into the eighth inning but a Matt Wojciechowski grand-slam home run pushed the Jags ahead where they would hold on to win 12-11 over Alabama State.
ASU scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 9-5 lead on the Jags. But in the top of the eighth, the Jags got underway when Garrett DeGallier ledoff the inning with a single to right field. Then Drew LaBounty drew a walk, followed by a single to left field by Andrew Tindell would load the bases for Davis Knapp. Hornet catcher Richard Gonzalez attempted to pick off Tindell at first but his throw would float into right field over the first baseman’s head alloweing DeGallier and LaBounty to both score and cut the lead to 9-7.
Knapp would walk to put runners at the corners with no outs in the inning. Cameron Cummings would draw a walk to load the bases. Then Wojciechowski would smash the first pitch over the right field wall for his first grand slam and his first homer as a Jaguar to give USA an 11-9 lead.
With runners on the corners, DeGallier would single to right field to drive in the Jags final run of the game, the seventh run of the inning which is their largest total in a single inning this season.
ASU would score two runs in the bottom of the eighth, but the Jags would hold on and win by one run.
USA improved to 20-24 on the season while ASU fell to 33-17.
Right hander Dillon Buhrkuhl (1-0) earned the win with 1 2/3 innings of relief allowing two unearned runs on one hit with a strikeout and a walk. Brandon Hallford allowed one hit with one strikeout in 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for his seventh save of the season.
The hero of the game, Wojciechowski, went 2-for-5 with a grand-slam homer, four RBI and two runs scored. Hindmon had a career-high three hits as did DeGallier who tied his career high.
South Alabama will travel to Atlanta to face Georgia State in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series this weekend. The first game is scheduled for 5pm Central Time on Friday and can be heard on 105.5 FM WNSP and WNSP.com online.