Box Score UNO-USA Box Score
MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama utilized a five-run second inning to erase an early deficit and move ahead for good in a 29-6 victory over New Orleans at Stanky Field on Friday evening.
UNO (0-6) led 3-1 heading to the bottom of the second when USA (5-0) plated five runs on five hits to move ahead 6-2. Bud Collura contributed to the count with a two-run single, part of a 3-of-6 outing for the third baseman.
The Jaguars added to their total with a run in the third and two more in the fourth.
In between the scores by USA, Privateer outfielder
Chaz Boyer scored his second run of the contest in the fourth after leading off the frame with a single. Boyer was 3-for-6 in the contest and scored in the inning on a
Brian Dixon groundout.
The Jaguars continued to score, adding seven runs in the sixth inning to increase its lead to 16-4. USA then plated 13 more in the eighth, their last at-bat of the game.
UNO scored its final two runs with a tally apiece in the seventh and eighth.
Jonathan Coco factored into both runs, scoring on a
Zach Pohto single in the seventh before coming home on an
Andre Damiens base hit in the eighth.
Damiens was 3-for-5 in the game to match Boyer with three hits. Pohto was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, joining
Morgan Barger and Coco with at least two hits for the Privateers.
Prior to the five-run second, UNO scored first when
Reese Kanter singled in Boyer in the first inning.
After the Jaguars tallied a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, the Privateers went back ahead 3-1 when USA starter Anthony Izzio walked in a pair of UNO runs with the bases loaded in the top of the second.
Stone Speer (0-1) was the losing pitcher after allowing nine runs - seven earned - on 10 hits in four innings. The left-handed pitcher walked four while striking out four. USA's James Traylor (1-0) relieved Izzio with 4.2 innings of work, allowing a single unearned run on five hits for the win.
Six batters had at least three hits for the Jaguars in the contest. The group included Graham Odom, who was 3-for-5 with three runs and five RBIs. Nolan Earley also tallied five RBIs on a 3-for-3 night with four runs.
The two teams are scheduled to continue their series on Saturday at 2 p.m. with a series finale at 1 p.m. Live stats and video for the remaining two games area available on USAJaguars.com with audio accessible on WNSP.org.
NOTES
Chaz Boyer has hit 5-for-10 over the last two games. Boyer went without a stolen base in the contest after swiping at least one base in four of the five previous games.
After needing 24 at-bats to total four hits in 2012,
Andre Damiens is now 6-for-11 on the season in three games.
Seth Laigast made his UNO pitching debut on Friday. A sophomore on this year's club, Laigaist made 21 appearances as a Privateer as an infielder before making the shift to the mound against USA.
The 15 hits in the contest for UNO were a season-high. The Privateers exceeded the 13 hits they produced in the season opener against Southeast Missouri on Feb. 15. The six runs were also a season-high, eclipsing the four scored in the aforementioned SEMO contest.
With the victory, USA is 5-0 for the first time since 1992. The Jaguars have won the last four against the Privateers, a streak that includes a 2010 series sweep when both institutions were members of the Sun Belt Conference. UNO won 2 of 3 against USA in 2009, including the squad's last victory in the series, a 10-2 win on Mar. 22, 2009.
