Box Score MOBILE, Ala. - South Alabama's Brent Tanner went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI to lead the Jaguars (19-16, 7-7) to a 10-4 victory over the UALR baseball team on Saturday afternoon at Stanky Field. The Trojans (15-19, 6-8) trailed 5-3 after five innings, but USA reliever Michael Carden limited UALR to two hits and one unearned run over the final 3.1 frames to help the Jaguars to a SBC series victory.
"We had a chance today. We didn't play poorly, we just couldn't get the clutch hits when we needed them," said UALR head coach Scott Norwood. "We need to pull things together and find a way to get out of town with a win tomorrow."
South Alabama led 6-3 after seven innings but broke the game open with a four-run rally in the eighth. The Jaguars tallied 17 hits in the win, with four players totaling at least three. Trey Sorrells put together a 3-for-5 day at the plate, leading the Jaguars with three RBI, while Logan Kirkland went 3-for-4 to extend his hit streak to 20 games.
Juniors Nick Rountree and Justin Barnes paced the Trojans with three hits apiece, while senior Jake Rowell went 2-for-5 with a team-high two RBI. Rowell cut UALR's deficit to two runs in the top of the fifth with a two-run homer to right - his third of the year. The Trojans totaled 13 hits on the day, but left 13 runners on base.
The Jaguars pushed across two runs on four hits in the bottom of the second to take an early 2-0 lead. Tanner got things going with a leadoff single to center and came around to score on a double down the left field line by Sorrells. Jeff DeBlieux capped off the scoring with a two-out, run-scoring single to left center.
USA starter Ben Crenshaw kept UALR in check for the first two innings, but the Trojans got on the board in the top of the third when Rountree plated sophomore Myles Parma with a two-out, RBI base knock to center. UALR went on to load the bases with two outs on the board off a single by Rowell and a walk by junior Niko Navarro, but Crenshaw fanned the next batter he faced to leave the bases full.
Leading 2-1, the Jaguars rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fourth after Patterson got things going with a leadoff triple to left past a diving Parma. After Patterson scored from third on a groundout by Sorrells, Brad Hook was hit by a pitch and DeBlieux followed with a double to put runners on second and third. USA tacked on two more runs in the frame as Kirkland lifted a sacrifice fly to center and Taylor White delivered a run-scoring base knock to left center.
Rowell's blast in the top of the fifth brought the Trojans within two, but the UALR offense managed just three more hits the rest of the way. Carden took the mound in relief of Crenshaw in the top of the sixth and proceeded to retire the first six Trojans he faced in-order.
South Alabama extended its lead to three runs in the seventh, off a sacrifice fly by Patterson, and then added four more runs (three unearned) off four hits in the eighth.
Crenshaw improved to 6-1 on the year by limiting the Trojans to three runs off 11 hits in 5.2 innings. Carden surrendered just two hits, with five strikeouts, over the final 3.1 frames to pick up his first save of the year. UALR starter Ryan Juris (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season after allowing eight hits and five runs over 4.1 innings of work.
UALR and South Alabama conclude their three-game series tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. A live blog of tomorrow's game will be available through the live stats at www.UALRTrojans.com.
