Box Score LITTLE ROCK ? Brent Tanner went 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI Sunday afternoon to lead South Alabama (12-6, 3-0) to a 14-8 victory over the UALR baseball team (10-6, 0-3) at Gary Hogan Field. The Jaguars scored 10 of their 14 runs in two innings and outhit the Trojans 14-to-9 to complete their three-game sweep.
Tanner hit a solo homer in the second inning to tie things up at 1-all, then delivered a three-run blast in the sixth inning as South Alabama took an 11-5 lead. He finished with four runs scored and four RBI to lead South Alabama to a 3-0 record in Sun Belt Conference play.
All nine starters had a hit for UALR on Sunday, but the Trojans did not have a single player with multiple hits in the loss. Senior Tim Emmons and junior Jake Rowell both homered against the Jaguars on Sunday, with Rowell totaling a team-high three RBI.
UALR struck first on Sunday afternoon, scoring a run in the bottom of the first to take an early 1-0 lead. Junior Bryce Killingsworth reached base after being hit by a pitch and worked his way over to third off a stolen base and a throwing error by Tanner, before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Rowell.
Tanner accounted for his throwing error in the top of the second, leading off with a solo homer to right center to tie the game at 1-all. Tied at 1-1, the Trojans pushed across two runs in the bottom of the third to go ahead 3-1. Senior Nate Brown hit a leadoff double to right, then scored on a single to left center by junior Brock Feldmann. UALR's shortstop scored from third two batters later on a sacrifice fly to center by junior Jason Houston.
Down 3-1 at the start of the fourth, the Jaguars opened up the frame with four-straight singles, the last of which was a two-run base knock to center from Taylor White which tied the game at 3-all. Brad Hook followed two batters later with a two-run single up the middle to give South Alabama a 5-3 lead and chase UALR starter Travis Henke from the game.
Junior Daniel Golden came on in relief of Henke, but walked the first batter he faced to load the bases with no outs on the board. A wild pitch by Golden during the next at-bat allowed Tyler Vick to score from third and give the Jaguars a 6-5 lead. After striking out Clint Reynolds, Golden hit the next batter he faced to load the bases once again, and then got the hook in favor of junior Garret Graziano after throwing one pitch to Jake Overstreet.
South Alabama tacked on another run off an RBI groundout by Overstreet, but Graziano was able to get outs from both batters he faced to finally get the Trojans out of the inning.
Down 7-3 in the bottom of the fourth, Emmons hit a two-out, two-run homer to right center to bring the Trojans within two. After retiring the first two batters of the fourth, Crenshaw gave up a two-out double to junior Casey McCollum, which Emmons followed with his first home run of the year.
Leading 7-5, South Alabama pushed across four runs in the top of the sixth after loading the bases with no outs on the board. USA's first three batters reached base at the start of the sixth to set the table for the Jaguars' four-run rally. After a sacrifice fly by Overstreet made it an 8-5 contest, Tanner delivered a three-run bomb to right center (his second of the game) to give USA an 11-5 lead.
The Trojans manufactured a run in the bottom of the sixth to pull within five, 11-6, but the Jaguars tacked on two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to build a 14-6 advantage. The Trojans had a chance to cut into the Jaguars' lead in the bottom of the seventh after loading the bases with one out, but USA's relievers were able to work their way out of the jam unscathed.
Facing a 14-6 deficit in the bottom of the ninth, Rowell hit a two-out, two-run homer to right (his third of the year) to bring UALR within six, 14-8. Reliever Phillip Byrd was able to get a strikeout from the next batter, however, to finish off the 14-8 win.
Starter Dustin Crenshaw went 4.0 innings for South Alabama, working off a predetermined pitch count, and got the win to improve to 2-0 on the year. Henke made his first start of the 2010 season and was tagged with the loss after surrendering six hits and seven runs over 3.0 innings of work.
UALR returns to action this week when it welcomes Tennessee-Martin to Gary Hogan Field for a pair of midweek games (March 16-17).
