Box Score MOBILE, Ala. - South Alabama (20-16, 8-7 SBC) completed a three-game sweep of the UALR baseball team (15-20, 6-9) with an 11-5 victory on Sunday afternoon at Stanky Field. The Jaguars ran out to an 8-1 lead after three innings and never looked back to hand UALR its fifth-straight loss.
USA's top four hitters did the majority of the damage on Sunday, as the group combined to score eight of the team's 11 runs with five RBI. Outfielder Taylor White went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, while Jordan Patterson added a 2-for-4, three-RBI performance. Leadoff hitter Logan Kirkland was 1-for-2 with three runs scored and one RBI, and singled in the bottom of the eighth to extend his hit streak to 21 games.
South Alabama's first five batters reached base in the bottom of the first, and the Jaguars capitalized by scoring three runs to take an early 3-0 lead. Kirkland drew a leadoff walk to start things off, and White (single) and Brent Tanner (walk) both reached base to load the bags with no outs on the board. Patterson plated the team's first run with a RBI base knock, and Trey Sorrells followed with a two-run double to make it a 3-0 contest.
UALR cut its deficit to two runs in the top of the third after junior Cameron Bentley sparked the Trojans with a leadoff triple to right. Bentley scored from third on the next play off an RBI groundout by junior Greg Garcia.
Leading 3-1, the Jaguars manufactured five runs in the bottom of the third to build an 8-1 lead they would never relinquish. South Alabama had just two hits during its five-run rally, but capitalized on two walks and a hit batter to build a seven-run lead. Tanner (hit by pitch) and Patterson (walk) both reached base to start the inning, and Sorrells got on base to load things up as the Trojans tried unsuccessfully to get a force out at second on his ground ball to short. Hook made it a 5-1 contest with a two-run single past first baseman Jake Rowell, and the Jaguars capped off the five-run frame with back-to-back sacrifice flies from Jeff DeBlieux and Kirkland.
The Trojans scored two runs in the top of the sixth, after opening the frame with three-consecutive singles, to make it an 8-3 ballgame, but never managed to get any closer. UALR tacked on a run in the eighth and ninth innings to close out its scoring, with senior Casey McCollum hitting a two-out, solo homer to left in the eighth - his first of the year.
USA starter Carlton Paris improved to 2-3 on the year by limiting the Trojans to three runs off nine hits over 7.0 innings. UALR starter Calvin Drinnen (3-4) suffered the loss after surrendering five runs off three hits and three walks over 2.0 frames.
UALR returns to action Tuesday night when it welcomes Central Arkansas to Gary Hogan Field at 6 p.m.
