South Alabama Sports Weekend Update
Baseball
The 20th ranked South Alabama Jaguar baseball team took two out of three from Middle Tennessee State over the weekend to win another Sun Belt series.
The series began on Friday afternoon at 2pm but was suspended due to rain and had to be concluded on Saturday evening. When it was suspended, the Jags were behind 11-9 in the top of the 14th inning. The Jags would end up winning the game 12-11.
On Saturday, the Jags needed an extra inning to decide the second game in the series as well. Nolan Earley gave the Jags the win on a two-out walk-off double in the bottom of the 10th inning for the 3-2 win.
Cole Billingsley reached on a bunt down the first base line then advanced to to third base on a single to right center by Whitt Dorsey. Earley then placed the 1-0 pitch into right center gap to drive Billingsley in for the win.
Matt Bell allowed two unearned runs on four hits while striking out five and no walks in the no-decision.
The Jags fell in the final game of the series on Sunday 6-5 to the Blue Raiders.
Jacob Noble took the loss after six innings of work where he allowed three unearned runs on seven hits and six strikeouts and one walk.
In the top of the seventh inning the Jags were behind 5-0 after a two-run homer to right field. The Jags finally responded in the bottom of the seventh when Nick Zaharion doubled to left center field then scored when Nolan Earley got his 200th hit and his 50th career double. Earley would then score on Dustin Dalken’s groundout to cut the lead to 5-2.
In the top of the eighth inning MTSU would add another run to make it 6-2.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Jags would load the bases with two outs when Whitt Dorsey was walked, then Jordan Patterson was hit by a pitch and another walk to Zaharion. But an inning ending popup would end the Jaguar threat with a score of 6-2.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Jags would rally for three runs but a game ending 5-3 double play off the bat of Zaharion would allow the Blue Raiders escape the sweep.
The Jags will play Southeastern Louisiana at Eddie Stanky Field to make up a game that was cancelled last month due to weather.
Softball
The Lady Jaguar softball team had their regular season ending doubleheader canceled due to field conditions at Troy.
The 18th ranked Jaguars lost the regular season title and the #1 seed due to the canceled doubleheader when Western Kentucky (38-14 overall, 20-3 SBC) swept Middle Tennessee on Friday. The Jags (41-7 overall, 17-3 SBC) will enter the Sun Belt Conference tournament at the #2 seed and ahead of the #3 seeded Lousiana-Lafayette.
WKU will open the tournament against against 8th seeded Louisiana-Monroe (19-33 overall, 3-20 SBC) in the first round of the SBC Championship at 12:30pm on Wednesday.
The Jags will open tournament play against 7th seeded Troy (20-30 overall, 7-14 SBC).
South Alabama enters the tournament as the highest ranked team in the conference at #18 in both national polls and NCAA RPI at 15.