Box Score LITTLE ROCK, Ark. ? South Alabama (23-15, 5-5 Sun Belt) used a two-out RBI single by Joel Collins in the top of the ninth to tie Friday night's ballgame at 8-all, then scored the go-ahead run in the 10th to pull out a 9-8 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock at Gary Hogan Field. The Trojans (21-17, 3-7) plated four runs in the bottom of the eighth to take an 8-7 lead, but could not close out the game.
UALR jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, after loading the bases with no outs off starter P.J. Walters. With two outs and the bags full, junior Brett Lawler ripped a bases-clearing double to give the Trojans an early 3-0 lead.
Junior Matt Bates made the lead stand till the fifth, by throwing four scoreless innings of one-hit ball to open the game. The Jaguars finally got to Bates in the fifth, as Patrick Weaver and David Freese hit back-to-back solo homers to make it a 3-2 contest.
A run-scoring double by Brian Asbill extended UALR's lead back to two runs, 4-2, before South Alabama pushed across a run in the fifth compliments of a RBI double by Collins. Asbill led the Trojans with a 3-for-5 day at the plate. Junior Dustin Turner (4-4) came on in relief of Bates following Collins' double. Bates' final stat line featured three runs, five hits and three walks over 5.1 innings.
The Jaguars took their first lead of the game in the top of the seventh, plating four runs thanks in large part to a two-run double by Aaron George and a two-run single by Ben Daw. South Alabama received some help in the inning, as the Jaguars drew back-to-back one-out walks and took advantage of a UALR fielding error.
Walters cruised along after his problems in the first, but ran in to trouble again in the bottom of the eighth as an infield single by Asbill and a bunt single by senior Jacob Stover gave the Trojans life. The USA defense didn't help Walters cause, as three Jaguar errors helped UALR take an 8-7 lead. Trailing 7-5, junior Matt King brought the Trojans within one, 7-6, with a RBI double. An error in right field allowed junior Jon Watson to score the tying run. Junior Brian Smiley then put the Trojans ahead, 8-7, with a RBI single to right. It was the only hit of the game for Smiley, but allowed the Mt. Vernon, Ind.-native to extend his hit streak to 13 games.
Holding on to an 8-7 lead, Turner appeared to have the game in hand after striking out the first two batters he faced in the ninth. But a two-out double by Daw gave the Jaguars hope, which Collins capitalized on with a two-out game-tying single to left.
The Trojans went down in order in the bottom of the ninth to send the game in to extra innings. Turner came out to start the 10th and promptly hit the first batter he faced. Junior Adam Miller got the nod in favor of Turner, but could not hold the Jaguars as a misplayed sacrifice bunt and a fielding error allowed South Alabama to plate the winning run.
Senior Tim Lawrence tried to spark the Trojans with a one-out double in the bottom half off Chase Christianson (4-2). Lawrence moved up to third off a groundout by Lawler, but did not go any further as Christianson got senior Matt Garlington to fly out to right to end the game.
Christianson got the win by working the final 2.2 frames, striking out three while allowing two hits and an unearned run. Turner took the loss for the Trojans after allowing six runs (five earned), five hits and three walks over 3.2.
The two teams return to action tomorrow afternoon with a 2 p.m. bout at Gary Hogan Field.
