TROY – No. 1 seed South Alabama scored in three consecutive innings to claim a 6-2 victory against No. 8 seed Arkansas State in the opening round of the 2015 Sun Belt Baseball Championship at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, Ala.

South Alabama advances to the winners’ bracket where the Jaguars will play No. 5 Georgia State at 4 p.m. CT tomorrow. Arkansas State moves to an elimination game where it will play against No. 4 Georgia Southern at 9 a.m. CT tomorrow.  Georgia State defeated Georgia Southern 3-2 in the first game of Wednesday’s championship action. 

Six different Jaguars scored runs and six different players recorded RBIs.  Senior Adam Ballew led the way as he went 3 for 4 at the plate.  Redshirt sophomore Cole Billingsley and junior Ryan Raspino each picked up two hits. 

Senior Lucas Fedderson had two hits for Arkansas State in four at bats.  Freshman Jeremy Brown scored both of the Red Wolves’ runs while senior Zach George picked up a RBI while reaching base for the 71st consecutive game. 

The Red Wolves started the scoring in the top of the third inning as Jeremy Brown opened the frame with a walk.  Feddersen delivered the big hit with an opposite field double into the right centerfield gap to put runners on second and third with no outs.  Brown then came home to score on a George groundout. 

South Alabama (35-19) took the lead behind a three run fourth inning.  Ballew started the frame with an infield single followed by junior Daniel Martinez’s single down the left field line. Senior Cole Gleason knocked in Ballew with a single to right field.  After a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third, Knapp grounded out to second to score Martinez.  Raspino knocked in the third run of the frame with a shot back up the middle. 

The Jaguars added two more in the fifth inning as Ballew hit a double high off the wall after junior Ben Gann and senior Bud Collura reached on a hit by pitch and a fielder’s choice.  Gann scored on the double and Collura came home on a Martinez groundout.

Arkansas State senior pitcher David Owen retired the first seven Jaguars before senior Davis Knapp worked a walk and Ryan Raspino hit a shot up the middle to put runners on the corners. Cole Billingsley followed with a single through the right side of the infield to score Knapp. Owen got out of the jam with a strikeout and a diving play by junior Ty White in right field which kept the score level at one after three innings. 

Arkansas State (25-29) loaded the bases in the sixth and seventh innings but only notched one run in those two frames.  In the seventh, Brown scored from third as sophomore Joe Schrimpf grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. 

Owen (3-5) picked up the loss after he pitched 6.1 innings while allowing eight hits, three walks, and six runs.  The senior struck out six before giving way to senior Colton Kibler.  Kibler pitched 1.2 innings and only surrendered one hit. 

Senior Jared Gates (5-3) earned the victory as he pitched 7.1 innings and only surrendered four hits and two runs.  Junior Mike Dolloff gave up one walk in an inning of relief.  Senior Ben Taylor notched his seventh save of the year as he recorded the last two outs after entering with two runners on base.