MOBILE, Ala. ?
Nick Mitchell's first home run of the season set the
tone early as the University of New Orleans defeated South Alabama 10-2
on Sunday afternoon at Stanky Field.
The blast by Mitchell and another UNO (7-13, 3-6 Sun Belt) run in the third were all the Privateers needed to claim their first conference series of the season as
Cory Myers (1-2) put up the squad's second straight strong performance on the mound.
Myers pitched a seven innings, allowing two run on four hits. The sophomore added a career-high six strikeouts against USA (8-14, 1-5 SBC) as the Privateers won their first series in Mobile since 1994.
The early runs would send Jaguars' starter Brandon Sage (1-3) to an early exit after he failed to retire a single batter in the fourth. Sage, who walked the first two UNO batters in the fourth, pitched three innings, allowing three runs on five hits.
Jerad Comarda led the Privateers with a 4-for-5 outing from the plate while
Rodarrick Jones added two hits and three RBIs.
Two players had multiple-hit games for USA as Zach Grichor and Ryan Bohanan had two hits apiece.
After Sage struck out two on way to retiring the side in the first inning, UNO got the bats going in the second. A Comarda lead-off double was followed by Mitchell's blast to make it 2-0 in favor of the Privateers.
UNO added another run in the third, upping their advantage to 3-0, after
Nick Schwaner was hit by pitch with the bases loaded.
Sage's day would come to an early end as the left-handed pitcher walked the first two batters he faced in the fourth. Jaguars' reliever Miles Ethridge came in, getting three straight outs to bail USA out of the inning.
An
Alan Harris two-run, two-out double off of Ethridge added another two runs to the Privateers' count, increasing their lead to 5-0.
The Jaguars finally picked up two hits and two runs on Myers in the fifth. Prior to the inning, the UNO pitcher had only allowed one hit through the first four innings of the game.
In the sixth, the Privateers scored three runs in the sixth as the first four reached base, highlighted by a two-run homerun by Jones, the first in his career.
UNO added two more runs in the seventh to close out the scoring.
The Privateers will return home to kickoff a five-game homestand at Maestri Field starting Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. against Southern.
