Baseball Falls to South Alabama 5-4.
4/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- South Alabama scored two runs in the second and third innings to take a four-run lead and then held on for a 5-4 win over the University of Alabama baseball team Wednesday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium to snap a nine-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa.
Lance Heisler's two-run double in the second inning gave the Jags a 2-0 lead. Jeff Cunningham made it a 4-0 game in the third inning with his 14th home run of the season.
Meanwhile, USA freshman left-hander Lance Baxter held Alabama to two runs and four singles through eight innings before the Crimson Tide staged a ninth-inning rally that ended with another one-run loss.
Trailing 5-2 entering the final inning,
Freshman designated hitter Del Howell, making his second start of the year, started the rally with a base hit to right field. Howell was 2-for-4 and scored one run in the loss. After left fielder Brandon Belcher fouled out, pinch-hitter Elvin Vargas reached on a fielder's choice when Howell was safe at second on Baxter's throwing error. Howell moved to third when the ball went into centerfield.
Senior shortstop Greg Paiml followed with a base hit to right to score Howell and cut the Jags lead to 5-3.
Baxter (2-1) left after Paiml's base hit and allowed four runs and six hits in 8 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out six.
"He pitched well for a guy with really bad numbers,"
After a wild pitch moved Vargas and Paiml into scoring position, center fielder Emeel Salem then lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Vargas from third and cut the deficit to 5-4. After
The win was the first by the Jaguars in
UA starter Casey Kebodeaux (3-3) allowed four runs and four hits in three innings to take the loss.
In the fourth, May walked and moved to third on Matthes' single up the middle and scored on a wild pitch.
In the fifth,
Jernigan made it a 5-2 game in the seventh inning with a solo home run off the scoreboard in left field. His second home run of the year proved to be costly for the Crimson Tide.
GAME NOTES:
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freshman designated hitter Del Howell (
*With two inherited runners stranded in the eighth inning, the UA bullpen has stranded its last 16 inherited runners over the last six games.
*Junior RHP Josh Copeland (Palmetto,
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