JAGS SWEEP DOUBLEHEADER FROM EAGLES TO CLINCH SERIES
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team swept a doubleheader from Georgia Southern Friday at Stanky Field to clinch the three-game Sun Belt Conference series.

South Alabama (20-13, 9-4 SBC) won the series opener 9-6, and clinched the series with an 8-1 victory in game two of Friday's twinbill.

USA will return to action Sunday at 1 p.m. when it hosts Georgia Southern (16-18, 8-5 SBC) in the series finale at Stanky Field.

South Alabama 9, Georgia Southern 6 (Game 1 of DH)
GAME FACTS
- Mason McWhorter reached on a hit by pitch from Jaguar right-hander Tyler Carr to lead off the top of the second inning, and advanced to third on a single to right field by Chandler Corley to put runners at the corners with no outs. Austin Thompson then grounded into a 6-3 double play that allowed McWhorter to score for a 1-0 Eagle lead.
- Michael Sandle singled to left field with one out in the bottom of the second, and advanced to second with one out on a passed ball. Hunter Stokes followed with an RBI single through the right side of the infield to score Sandle and tie the game at 1-1. Paul Russo then singled to left field and advanced to third on a two-base fielding error by GS left fielder McWhorter that allowed Stokes to score for a 2-1 Jaguar lead. Will Luft followed with an RBI sacrifice bunt to first base that scored Russo for a 3-1 advantage.
- Mason McWhorter doubled to right field with one out in the top of the fourth, and moved to third on an infield single to third by Corley to put Eagles at the corners with one out. Thompson followed with an RBI single through the left side of the infield to score McWhorter and cut the USA lead to 3-2. Christian Avant then delivered an RBI single to right-center field to plate Corley and tie the game at 3-3. Matt Anderson reached on a hit by pitch to load the bases with one out, but Carr rolled a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play off the bat of Mitchell Golden to preserve a 3-3 tie.
- Sandle reached on a fielder's choice with one out in the bottom of the fourth, and advanced to second on a single to left-center field by Stokes. Russo followed with an RBI single back up the middle that scored Sandle for a 4-3 Jaguar lead. Travis Swaggerty delivered a two-out, three-run home run to right-center field on a 1-0 pitch from Eagle right-hander Brian Eichhorn later in the inning for a 7-3 Jaguar lead.
- USA extended its lead to 8-3 in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out, solo home run to left field by Will Luft on a 1-1 pitch from Eichhorn. Swaggerty delivered a two-out, solo home run to right-center field, his second of the game, on a 1-2 pitch later in the inning for a 9-3 lead.
- The Eagles cut the Jaguar lead to 9-4 in the top of the eighth inning on a two-out RBI double to right-center field by Noah Searcy.
- Georgia Southern scored the game's final runs in the top of the ninth on a two-run single to left field by Jason Swan.

NOTES
- Swaggerty recorded his first multiple-home run game of his career with a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth, and a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth.
- Friday's start snapped a streak of seven consecutive quality starts by Eichhorn. The nine runs allowed were the most he has allowed in his career.
- Carr tossed 6 1/3 innings and allowed three earned runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts without issuing a walk, and logged his seventh quality start of the year. It also marked his ninth start in as many starts this season in which he has pitched six or more innings.
- Carr (6-2) allowed three runs and scattered 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings with four strikeouts to earn the win.
- Eichhorn (2-2) allowed nine runs on nine hits with four strikeouts against one walk in six innings pitched in the loss.
- Swaggerty went 2-for-4 with two home runs, four RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Jags at the plate. Stokes added two hits, one RBI and one run scored, and Russo finished 2-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored.
- Corley went 3-for-5 to lead the Eagles offensively.
- The Jags turned three double plays in the game.

South Alabama 8, Georgia Southern 1 (Game 2 of DH)
GAME FACTS
- Russo led off the bottom of the second inning with a double to center field, and scored on a one-out RBI single through the right side of the infield by Swaggerty for a 1-0 Jaguar lead. Donovan delivered a two-out RBI single to center field later in the inning that scored Swaggerty to double the Jag lead at 2-0.
- Georgia Southern answered when Thompson led off the top of the fourth with a solo home run, the first of his Eagle career, to left field to cut the Jaguar lead in half at 2-1.
- USA loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fourth on a walk by Stokes, bunt single by Russo and Luft reached on a fielding error by Swan at first base. But Eagle right-hander Chase Cohen induced an inning-ending popup to shortstop off the bat of Swaggerty to keep the Georgia Southern deficit at one run.
- Donovan reached on an infield single to third with one out in the bottom of the fifth, moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third with one out on a second wild pitch from Eagle right-hander Chase Cohen following a walk by Perkins. Wells Davis then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Donovan for a 3-1 Jaguar advantage.
- Stokes drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth, and moved to second on a single through the right side by Russo. Luft then reached on a fielder's choice on a sacrifice bunt attempt that loaded the bases with no outs. Swaggerty drew a walk to score Stokes for a 4-1 lead, and Hardy followed with a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Russo for a 5-1 advantage. Donovan then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to score Luft and extend the USA lead to 6-1.
- Davis led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to center field, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Mike Sandle and advanced to third on a single to right field by Stokes to put runners at the corners with one out. Russo followed with an RBI bunt single up the first base line to score Davis for a 7-1 Jaguar lead. Luft then drew a walk to load the bases with one out for Swaggerty, who reached on a hit by pitch to score Stokes with the game's final run.

NOTES
- Jaguar right-hander JoJo Booker (2-1) struck out a career-high eight batters against one walk in a career-high 4 2/3 scoreless relief innings to earn the win.
- Cohen (3-3) allowed three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and three walks in five innings pitched in the loss.
- Stokes went 4-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored to lead the Jags at the plate. Donovan finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored, Davis added two hits, one RBI and one run scored and Swaggerty had one hit, three RBIs and one run scored.
- Thompson went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored to lead the Eagles offensively.
- Jaguar left-hander Jared Proctor allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts and three walks in 4 1/3 innings pitched without factoring in the decision.
- USA improved to 14-6 all-time against the Eagles with the doubleheader sweep, and extended its winning streak in the series to five games.

Denison’s Clutch Single Lifts Troy Over No. 17 Coastal Carolina
TROY, Alabama – With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Joey Denison ripped a two-RBI single to push Troy past No. 17 Coastal Carolina, 4-2, Friday night in front of a rowdy crowd at Riddle-Pace Field.

Despite being hit the pitch before, the senior was held in the batter's box for allegedly not attempting to move out of the way and made the most of his opportunity – the two RBIs were Denison's 42nd and 43rd of the season.

The Trojans (23-10, 8-5) answered with the game-winning runs just a frame after the 17th-ranked Chanticleers (24-12, 10-3) knotted the game with two runs of their own.

Troy scored one in the bottom of the first on a Brandon Lockridge RBI double, but the two talented squads were locked in a pitchers' battle for the following six innings. Coastal's Jason Bilous allowed just two runs – one earned – on three hits in five innings and Troy's Andrew Crane worked 5.2 scoreless frames with four strikeouts and four hits.

Sidewinder CJ Carter (4-3) took over for Crane and fanned five batters around two runs on two hits in the final 3.1 innings to earn the win.

Coastal Carolina's only two runs came on one swing of the bat, when Matt Beaird laced a two-strike, two-out, two-RBI double in the top of the eighth inning. Davie Inman (0-2) took the loss for the Chants, giving up two runs on three hits in three innings.

Quotable – Troy head coach Mark Smartt
"It was a great game. Credit both teams because the competition level was excellent. They found a way to tie it, then we answered with the winning runs right after that. As a baseball fan, that was a great game to watch."

Sound "Smartt" with your Friends
Friday's win was Troy's fifth victory over a ranked team in the Mark Smartt era – three of those wins were against Sun Belt Conference opponents.

Noteworthy
• Brandon Lockridge drove in the first run of the game with an RBI double in the first inning. It was 10th double and 19th RBI of the season.

• Redshirt freshman Rigsby Mosley's seventh-inning triple was Troy's 15th of the 2018 season – tying for the third-most triples in a single season in school history.

• The two game-winning RBIs from Joey Denison were his 42nd and 43rd this year. Entering the weekend, the senior was ranked sixth nationally and was tied for the conference-lead in the category.

On Deck
The Trojans and Chanticleers will meet for parts two and three Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Righties Daren Osby and Rush Hixon will answer the bell for Troy in the twin bill, respectively.

Texas State fends off furious rally Friday
DECATUR, Ga. – The Texas State baseball team earned a hard-fought 10-9 victory over Georgia State Friday night at GSU Baseball Complex.

The Bobcats (18-15-1, 6-7 SBC) led by as many as five runs in the contest but had to fend off a late frenetic rally from the Panthers (17-16, 5-7 SBC), who saw their four-game win streak halted.

TXST struck first with a five-run fourth inning that featured seven hits. The home team answered with a solo marker in the bottom of the frame, but the Bobcats pulled that one back in the top of the fifth.

Georgia State scored once in the sixth and three times in the seventh, but again the maroon and gold was able to respond with three of its own in the top of the eighth and a vital insurance tally in the top of the ninth.

Texas State entered the bottom of the ninth with what seemed to be a comfortable 10-5 cushion, but the home side went on to score four times before the Bobcats were able to extinguish the rally.

Junior pitcher Connor Reich (5-2) earned the triumph on the mound after allowing four runs on five hits across 6.1 innings. He struck out six and walked just two. Four additional pitchers were needed to close the door on GSU, and it was junior Brayden Theriot who cleaned up the final out for his team-leading fourth save of the season.

All nine of Texas State's batters had at least one hit, while eight had at least one RBI and eight scored at least once. The Bobcats belted a season-high 15 hits, while Georgia State had 12.

Freshman Dalton Shuffield – in his first-career start – had the first three hits of his career to go along with an RBI and a run scored. Junior Jaylen Hubbard went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Senior Jared Huber and junior Jacob Almendarez also had two hits, and Almendarez scored twice. Junior Jonathan Ortega drove in two runs.

Nick Gatewood went 3-for-5 to lead GSU but did not drive in a run or score. Most of the damage for the Panthers came from Romero Greer, who finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Kalen Pluckett and Luke Leonard also had two hits. Leonard and Will Kilgore both scored twice.

Sophomore starting pitcher Hunter Gaddis (6-2) suffered the loss and made his exit after just 4.0 innings. He conceded six runs on 11 hits. The innings total was a season-low, while the runs conceded was a season-high. The 11 hits he gave up were the most in his career. GSU used four relievers in the contest.

Due to rain and thunderstorms in the forecast for April 15, that game has been moved up a day and will be played as a day-night doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on April 14.

This marks the seventh weekend effected by weather for Texas State this season.

Louisiana Baseball Rallies To Defeat Appalachian State In Series Opener
BOONE, N.C. – Junior Gavin Bourgeois came up with the game-winning hit in the eighth inning as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team rallied to defeat Appalachian State 4-3 in the series opener on Friday night at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.

Senior left-hander Colten Schmidt claimed his fourth victory of the year in the contest limiting the Mountaineers (8-24, 1-12 SBC) to three runs on five hits in eight innings of work. Schmidt struck out two and allowed just one runner to reach second base after the first inning.

Junior Nick Lee earned his first career save tossing a perfect ninth inning with three strikeouts.

App State starter Colin Schmid was handed the loss despite holding the Ragin' Cajuns (18-17, 6-7 SBC) to four runs (three earned) on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in 7.2 innings.

LEADING THE CAJUNS

Junior Daniel Lahare led the Cajuns with two RBI on the night, while both Jonathan Windham and Kole McKinnon scored twice in the game going 1-for-2 with a walk. Senior Kennon Fontenot extended his on-base streak to 15 games going 1-for-4.

HOW IT HAPPENED

App State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a base-clearing double down the left field line by Conner Leonard.

Louisiana cut the Mountaineer advantage to 3-2 in the top of the third inning as two runs came home to score on an error by ASU shortstop Joe McDaniel on a ground ball from Lahare.

After four scoreless innings, the Ragin' Cajuns evened the game at 3-all when Lahare brought home Windham on an RBI ground out to second base. In the next at bat, Gavin Bourgeois lined a two-out single to left field to plate McKinnon and give Louisiana a 4-3 lead.

The Mountaineers threatened in the bottom of the eighth putting a runner on second base with one out, but Schmidt got Drew Beck to ground out and Riley Smith to foul out to end the inning. Lee then came into the game in the ninth and struck out the side to end the contest.

UP NEXT

Due to rain forecasted for Boone on Sunday, Louisiana and Appalachian State will play a doubleheader tomorrow starting at 11 a.m. CT. Sophomore right-hander Jack Burk will take the mound in game one, while junior left-hander will make the start in game two for the Cajuns. App State has junior left-hander Andrew Vaccacio tabbed to start in game one. The Mountaineers have yet to announce a game two starter.

Fans can listen to both games on News Talk KPEL 96.5-FM with Jay Walker and Jeff Schneider on the call.