Jags Baseball Shutout By SLU
The South Alabama baseball woes continue as they drop their third-straight game and their fourth-consecutive non-conference game of the season in a shutout against Southeastern Louisiana.
SLU’s Kyle Cedotal and Gage Pickett combined to shutout the Jags 5-0 at Eddie Stanky Field. Cedotal threw a career-high 7 1/3 innings allowing just three hits while striking out four with three walks. Pickett tossed 1 2/3 innings of relief with three strikeouts and two walks.
Jared Gates (1-4) suffered the loss for the Jaguars after tossing 5 2/3 innings and allowing just one run on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
SLU (24-13) got on the board in the top of the second inning after a leadoff single and stolen base put the runner on second base. Then a two-out RBI single by would drive the runner home.
In the top of the seventh, SLU would score two more runs after a one-out walk would put the first runner on base. A single through the left side of the infield would advance the runner to third base on a hit-and-run. A wild pitch by Matt Bell would bring home the runner on third. Then a two-out RBI double down the right field line would score the second run for a 3-0 lead in the seventh inning.
Then in the top of the eighth, SLU would load the bases with one out on back-to-back singles and a walk. An RBI single to center would score two runs for a 4-0 lead. Then one batter later they would score the final run of the game on an RBI groundout to shortstop.
The Jags fall to 16-20 on the season and will travel to Western Kentucky this weekend for a three game series.
The Jags are fighting to stay in the top eight of the SBC Baseball standings so they can not only host the SBC Championships, but also participate in them. Currently the Jags sit in the eighth and final spot with a 6-8 conference record ahead of Georgia State (5-10) and UALR (3-12).
1. UL Lafayette (34-4, 14-1)
2. Arkansas State (20-16, 10-5)
T3. Texas State (19-17, 8-7)
T3. UT Arlington (16-20, 8-7)
T5. Western Kentucky (19-17, 7-8)
T5. UL Monroe (16-22, 7-8)
7. Troy (19-18, 6-8)
8. South Alabama (16-20, 6-8)
9. Georgia State (17-20, 5-10)
10. Arkansas-Little Rock (13-20, 3-12)
USA’s Locke St. John Named SBC Pitcher of the Week
Locke St. John, a junior from Pell City, AL, was named the SBC Pitcher of the Week on Monday. This is the first for the Jaguars since March 25, 2013. | Photo by: Brad Puckett usajaguars.com
South Alabama’s Locke St. John was named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week on Monday by the conference office in New Orleans, Louisiana.
St. John, a 6’1″ junior from Pell City, Alabama, tossed seven innings in combining for the Jaguars second shutout of the season. He only allowed three hits with two strikeouts in the series opener against Arkansas State. He only allowed two ASU runners to move into scoring position in the seven innings.
St. John is the first left-hander to win the SBC Pitcher of the Week honrs this season and the first Jaguar to be honored since Jarron Cito on March 25, 2013.
He ranks second in the conference with an ERA of 2.68, is tied for fourth in runs allowed with 18 and is fifth in innings pitched with 57.
The Jags will host Southeast Louisiana this evening (if field conditions permit) prior to traveling to Bowling Green, Kentucky for a three game series against Western Kentucky.
South Alabama Sports – Weekend Update
Softball
The #15 ranked South Alabama Softball team lost two of three to conference leader Louisiana-Lafayette over the weekend to fall to 32-8 overall and 9-4 in Conference play.
On Saturday, the Jags split a double-header with #18 ranked ULL taking game one 6-2 but the Jags came back in the nightcap to even the series with an 8-4 win.
Stephanie Pilkington led the Jaguars at the plate on Saturday by going 4-for-8 with three RBI and a run scored. Blair Johnson, Taylor Rodgers and Alex Breeden all had three hits each and combined for three RBI and two runs scored.
Hannah Campbell got the win in game two after she struck out six with two walks and scattering four hits and allowed all four runs, but only two of them earned.
Farish Beard took the loss in game one after allowing six runs, all earned, on seven hits while striking out one with one walk.
On Sunday they fell 5-1 to give ULL the series. Though the Jags scored first in the top of the second inning, the Ragin’ Cajuns scored five unanswered runs over the next two innings to hand the Jaguars their second consecutive SBC series defeat.
Alex Breeden was the lone run for the Jaguars on Saturday with a one-out solo home run to put her team-leading number at seven on the season.
Campbell took the loss to fall to 13-4 on the season after allowing five runs, only one earned, on seven hits with only one strikeout and one walk. Holly McKinnon threw two innings of shutout relief with on strikeout and two walks and only allowing one hit.
South Alabama will have the week off until the Weekend series against Georgia State. They will play a double-header on Friday beginning at 4pm at Jaguar Field and will play the final game on Saturday beginning at noon ahead of Easter Sunday the next day.
Baseball
Locke St. John and Ben Taylor combined for a four-hit shutout against Arkansas State on Friday to start the weekend off with a 5-0 win. But would drop the next two games to lose the series.
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South Alabama Sports – Weekend Preview
Baseball
The Jaguar baseball team will host Arkansas State for a three-game weekend series at Eddie Stanky Field starting Friday evening at 6:30pm.
Locke St. John (3-1) will make his ninth start of the season against right hander David Owen (4-1) for the Red Wolves. USA enters the game after taking two of three games from Texas State last weekend but dropping a midweek game to Nicholls State 15-4. USA has an overall season record of 15-17 and a 5-6 record in the Sun Belt.
Saturday night the Jags and Red Wolves will get underway at 6:30pm again with right hander Kevin Hill (2-4) taking the mound against lefty Chandler Hawkins (2-4) for ASU. The two will round out the weekend with a 1pm start on Sunday with righty Bradley Wallace (3-3) taking the mound for ASU while USA has not named a starter for Sunday yet.
Arkansas State enters the game with an 18-15 record overall and an 8-4 record in conference play.
Softball
The Jaguars will be in Lafayette taking on fellow Sun Belt powerhouse Louisiana-Lafayette in a three game series. Saturday they will start it off with a double-header beginning at 2pm.
USA enters the game after a 3-2 win over Mississippi State and sporting a 31-6 record overall and a conference record of 8-2. ULL enters the weekend on a 13-game winning streak with an overall record of 28-6-1 and a perfect conference record of 9-0, which puts them on top of the standings for the conference.
Track and Field
The USA Men’s and Women’s track and field teams will compete in their third and final home event as they host the 14th annual South Alabama Invitational at Jaguar Track on Friday and Saturday.
Fellow Sun Belt schools Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Troy will be in attendance as well as Belhaven, Birmingham Southern, Loyola (La.), Tulane, West Florida and William Carey.
The Jaguars will also recognize 13 graduating seniors in a brief ceremony on Saturday. Tyler Agee, Nick Farell, Leah Hixon, Noelle Jones, Jarrod Kedzior, Tori Lawson, Jeff Long, Melissa McClusky, Adam Patterson, Garrett Schumacher, Alex Shields, Connor Smith, and Bobbie Williamson will be the ones honored.
Women’s Golf
The Women’s Golf team will compete in the Sun Belt Championships beginning on Monday at Steelwood Country Club in Loxley, Alabama. The event will run through Wednesday.
Football
Head coach Joey Jones announced that Quinton Dent has signed a National Letter-of-Intent to join the South Alabama football team this fall.
Dent played the previous two seasons at Laney (Ca.) Community College and is the second JuCo defensive back to sign with USA this spring and raises the number of secondary players in this recruiting class to ten.
Dent is a 6’3″, 180-pound native of Haines City, FL. He earned first-team all-Golden Gate Conference Central Division honors last fall as he helped his team to an 8-3 record. He recorded 32 total tackles, 23 of them solo, with three interceptions and a team-best 13 passes broken up.
Jags Baseball Falls To Nicholls State
The South Alabama baseball team fell 15-4 at Nicholls State on Wednesday evening as the Colonels outscored the Jags 12-1 over the final seven innings.
NSU had 16 hits led by Keith Cormier’s 4-for-5 performance with two doubles, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored. Tyler Duplantis finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.
The Jags jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Adam Ballew and Cameron Cummings led off the game with back-to-back singles. Cole Gleason walked to load the bases with no outs. Hayden Jones hit a RBI single to left field to score Ballew for a 1-0 lead. Matt Wojciechowski hit a sac fly to center field which scored Cummings and double the lead to 2-0. Finally Justin Cullifer hit a one-out RBI single to left field later in the inning for the third and final run of the inning for the Jaguars.
The Colonels answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game at three apiece. A one-out, two-run homer by Cormier would cut the Jag lead to one run before a sacrifice fly netted the tieing run.
In the bottom of the third, Duplantis gave the Colones a 4-3 lead on an RBI fielders choice.
They would then take control of the game with a six-run fourth inning. They would add three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Jags fall to 15-17 on the season while the Colonels improved to 17-18.
USA will host Arkansas State for a weekend series against the Red Wolves at Eddie Stanky Field starting on Friday at 6:30pm.
USA Baseball Faces Nicholls State On The Road This Evening
The USA baseball team will face Nicholls State Wednesday afternoon in Thibodaux, Louisiana for their midweek game.
The Jags ended a five-game losing skid last Friday when they won the first game against Texas State en route to winning the weekend series 2-1 in San Marcos. They will look to build on that this week against the Colonels.
USA enters with a 15-16 record overall while Nicholls State enters with a 16-18 record after dropping four of their last five games including two of three against Northwestern State last weekend.
USA will start lefty Jared Gates (1-3) for the seventh time this season. He is 1-2 with a 0.74 ERA in his four night starts this year. He has 18 strikeouts and nine walks in 24 1/3 innings and is limiting opposing batters to a .138 batting average at night. The Colonels will start right-hander Ryan Deemes (1-2).
The game will get started at 6pm and can be heard locally on 105.5FM WNSP or worldwide on WNSP.com. A live video stream can be purchased through the Nicholls State website GeauxColonels.com to view online.
South Alabama Sports – Weekend Roundup
Baseball
South Alabama won the series in their first time facing Texas State 2-1.
In the first game, the Jags and the Bobcats went to the 13th inning before Drew LaBounty delivered a one-out RBI single to left field breaking the deadlock in the top of the inning to lead the Jaguars to a 5-4 win in the first game.
Ben Taylor earned the win (3-1) with 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief with only three hits, one walk and a career high six strikeouts.
The Jags had to rally to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning as they were trailing by one run. Justin Cullifer reached on a throwing error to lead off the inning. A sacrifice bunt by Matt Wojciechowski moved pinch runner Cole Jarman to second. LaBounty then hit a two-out RBI single to right field to score Jarman and tie the game at 4-4.
In game two Texas State’s Austen Williams threw a complete-game shutout to lead the Bobcats over the Jaguars 2-0.
Williams (4-1) only allowed four hits while striking out seven and only issuing one walk. USA’s Kevin Hill (2-4) also pitched a complete game in the loss. He allowed two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and four walks. Over the final five innings he only allowed two hits.
On Sunday, the Jaguars clinched the series with a 7-2 win.
USA scored in each of the first three innings of the game then added three more runs in the top of the ninth inning to secure the win.
Cole Gleason got on base with a two-out walk. He was followed by Hayden Jones’ single that bounced off of Bobcat pitcher Lucas Humpal. Mojciechowski then singled through the right side to score Gleason for an early 1-0.
The Jags added to their lead in the top of the second when Drew LaBounty led off the inning with a single to right field. He advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Andrew Tindell. Adam Ballew would drive Labounty in on a one-out RBI sincle to right field.
In the top of the third, Connor Hawthorne doubled down the left field line with two outs. LaBounty would drive him in with an RBI double to left center field as the Jags took a 3-0 lead.
Texas State would cut the lead to 3-2 and threatened more, but Hunter Soleymani worked himself out of the jam by inducing a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Ballew would drive in a run on a fielders choice in the sixth inning where Hawthorne would score from third base for the Jags to take a 4-2 lead.
The final runs of the game started when Ballew reached by being hit by a pitch and Cole Cummings reaching on a fielders choice. Gleason would hit a two-run double to the right center gap to score Ballew and Cummings. Wojciechowski would ground out to second for the second out of the inning, but it allowed Gleason to score for the final score of 7-2.
The team will travel to Thibodaux, Louisiana on Wednesday for a 6pm match-up with Nicholls State before a weekend series against Arkansas State at Eddie Stanky Field.
Softball
The #11 ranked Jaguars also faced Texas State over the weekend in San Marcos, Texas but the Bobcats took series 2-1 after splitting Saturday’s double-header.
In the opening game the Jags won 8-0 as Amanda Minahan went 2-for-4 with a record tying two home runs in a game while scoring three runs and three RBI. Stephanie Pilkington was 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored.
Hannah Campbell earned her 12th win of the season after striking out seven with no walks and only five hits for her fourth shutout of the season.
Freshman Holly McKinnon pitched 2/3 of an inning and struck out both batters she faced to end the game.
In game two the Jags fell 4-1 as the Bobcats jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. The Jags scored their only run when Chloe Rathburn’s triple drove in Blair Johnson, who led off the inning with a walk. Kaitlyn Griffith was hit by a pitch and Amanda Herron walked to load the bases but the Jags could not push any more runs across the plate.
On Sunday, the Jags stranded 10 runners in their 4-3 loss to Texas State.
The Jags fall to 30-6 overall and 8-2 in conference play. Texas State improves to 21-20 overall and 4-5 in conference play.
Three lead changes in the game would begin when TSU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
The Jags would respond in the top of the fourth when freshman Taylor Rodgers hit a two-run homer for a 2-1 lead, but it would be short lived.
Three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning would put the hosts ahead 4-2.
In the top of the sixth inning, the Jags would have runners on the corner, but could not produce a run. In the top of the seventh, Blair Johnson would lead off the inning with a single. Alex Breeden would reach on a two-out fielding error and allowing Johnson to score, but pinch runner Alyssa Linn would be thrown out at third base to finish the game.
Hannah Campbell took the loss (12-3) after giving up six hits and four runs, all earned, while striking out five and four walks.
The Jags will hope to get back on the winning side on wednesday when they host Mississippi State at Jaguar Field for a 6pm game.
Track and Field
USA men’s and women’s track and field teams broke a school record and earned four wins at the Tiger Classic in Auburn, Alabama.
Renaldo Frechou set the Jaguar record in the men’s hammer throw for the fourth time this season with a 63.87m on his sixth and final attempt. He earned the top individual honor int he 20-man field for the event.
Five Jags finished in the top 10 as Adam Patterson (58.37m) and Jeff Long (56.60m) placed third and fourth whiel Jarrod Kedzior and Jan-Louw Kotze finished ninth and tenth. Bobbie Williamson took third place with a 56.26m throw on her final try.
Noelle Jones won the Javelin with a throw of 44.08m. Ashton Pennington finished second with a throw of 39.97m. Sarah Petty finished fifth with a 37.73m throw. Robert King finished seventh for the men with a 53.05m throw.
Kotze won the discus throw in a field of 21 individuals with a throw of 55.25m.
Joe Gratton won the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:35.56 for his first career win in the event.
All of the final results can be found here.
South Alabama Sports – Weekend Preview
Baseball
The Jaguar baseball team will face Texas State for the first time on the baseball diamond this weekend starting tonight at 6:30pm in San Marcos, Texas.
The Jags are in the midst of a five game losing streak and carries a 13-15 record into the game. They lost midweek games against Southeastern Louisiana and Southern Mississippi. Though the Jaguars lead the conference in sacrifice bunts, they are last in the conference in hits, runs scored, RBI, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, total bases, doubles and home runs.
Texas State is 17-11 overall and 6-3 in conference play this season. They have won two of their last five games. They are batting .247 as a team with a staff ERA of 3.70.
Starting for the Jaguars in game one is Locke St. John (3-1). Kevin Hill (2-3) will start game two and the Jags have not announced a starter for the series finale on Sunday.
Texas State is currently third in the conference while the Jags are sitting eighth out of ten schools.
All of the games can be heard on 105.5FM WNSP or WNSP.com online. Saturday’s game will start at 3pm and Sunday will get underway at 1pm.
Softball
The Jaguar softball team will also be in San Marcos, Texas for a three game Sun Belt Conference series against the Bobcats.
They will play a double-header on Saturday with their first game set for 1pm and the second scheduled for 3pm. They will wrap up the series on Sunday beginning at 11am.
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USA Baseball Falls To Southern Miss 3-1
The Jaguar baseball team dropped their second game in as many days when they fell at home to Southern Miss 3-1 Wednesday evening.
With the Jaguars leading 1-0 in the top of the eighth, USM put two runners on base with no outs after a leadoff single and a sacrifice bunt was mishandled by the pitcher Jared Gates. A bunt attempt to move both runners into scoring position resulted in the first baseman Cole Gleason’s throw sailing wide of first base to allow both runners to score for the Golden Eagles to take a 2-1 lead. A sacrifice fly to center would score the other runner for the 3-1 margin.
Gates (1-3) sufferred the loss after going seven innings, allowing two unearned runs on three hits with a career-high seven strikeouts and a pair of walks.
The Jags will travel to San Marcos, Texas for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series against Texas State where they hope to break their five game losing skid.
Friday night’s game will get underway at 6:30pm, Saturday’s game is scheduled for 3pm and Sunday’s game is scheduled for 1pm. All of the games can be heard on 105.5 FM WNSP and WNSP.com.
USA Baseball To Face SLU Tonight
USA Baseball will begin a five-game road trip over a six day span starting this evening when they face Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond, La. for a 6pm game.
They will then return home to host Southern Miss on Wednesday evening at 6:30pm. Then they will have a day off before facing Texas State in San Marcos, TX for a three game series starting on Friday.
USA will start right-hander Matt Bell (2-3, 6.15) to start against SLU. USA will face Kyle Cedotal (0-1, 1.50).
The game can be heard on 105.5FM WNSP and WNSP.com online.