Box Score MOBILE, Ala. ? JR Boling held South Alabama hitless over the final 3.1 innings and the Trojans scratched across a run in the eighth and ninth innings to pull out a 5-3 win over the Jaguars on Saturday afternoon.
UALR (9-22, 5-12) evened the series at one game a piece by holding the Jaguars (13-19, 4-10) to just six hits without committing an error ? just the fifth time this season the Trojans have done so.
Boling took the mound in the top of the sixth with the bases loaded and two outs and UALR holding a 3-2 lead. South Alabama's Zach Grichor scored the tying run when Boling hit the first batter he faced, but the junior reliever struck out Nathaniel Lami (looking) to escape the jam. Boling retired the final 10 batters he faced, with two strikeouts, to improve to 2-0 on the year.
After a scoreless seventh inning, the Trojans scored the go-ahead run in the eighth after senior Kody Kroll was hit by a pitch to start the frame. USA starter Brandon Sage left the game after hitting Kroll, but the Jaguar bullpen couldn't prevent the Trojans from taking the lead as Kroll moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt and came around to score on a RBI single up the middle by junior Landis Wilson.
UALR tacked on an insurance run in the ninth after the Jaguars once again hit a batter to start the inning. Junior Nate Brown reached base on the hit-by-pitch and moved up to third on a wild pitch and a single by senior Matt Apfel. Brown scored from third to put the Trojans ahead 5-3 when Apfel was caught in a rundown trying to steal second. Boling then retired the Jaguars in order in the bottom of the ninth to seal the win.
Sage dropped to 2-5 on the year despite limiting the Trojans to four hits and four runs (three earned), with six strikeouts over 7.0 innings pitched. UALR starter Jake Sullivan took a no decision after allowing six hits and three runs over 5.2 frames.
The two teams close out the series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
