by MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team used a five-run third inning and a quality start from Kevin Hill (Muscogee Creek Nation) to defeat the Evansville Purple Aces 5-4 Friday in the series opener at Stanky Field.
Hill (1-0) struck out 10 and issued three walks while allowing three unearned runs on just one hit to earn the win. Right-hander Mike Dolloff recorded the final two outs of the game to earn his first career save at USA.
“Kevin deserved a better fate than giving up three runs, but then again so did their (Evansville) guy,” Calvi said. “But that’s the game of baseball. Early on, you hope you pitch and play better defense than the opposition. All in all, I will take it. I give Evansville credit. They have had some weather issues up there, but their kids hung tough and played well. We’re looking for another tough game tomorrow.”
Hill struck out the side in his first inning of work. The lone hit he surrendered in the game came an inning later on a one-out single to left field by Travis Tokarek, but the right-hander quickly followed with a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play.
South Alabama (1-0) then broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the third inning. A pair of one-out singles by Brendan Donovan and Matt Bolger, followed by a hit by pitch to Dylan Hardy loaded the bases. Drew LaBounty then reached on a fielder’s choice after UE second baseman Trey Hair’s throw to second on a potential inning-ending double play sailed wide into left field to allow Donovan and Bolger to score the game’s first two runs. Cole Billingsley then drew a walk before Danny Martinez delivered an RBI single into center field to plate Hardy for a 3-0 lead. Jared Barnes followed with a sacrifice fly to right field to score LaBounty and give the Jags a 4-0 advantage. Carter Perkins then delivered an RBI single back up the middle for a 5-0 lead.
Evansville pushed its first run of the game across in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Hair that scored Josh Jyawook, who reached on a fielding error by Hardy in left field to lead off the inning.
The Purple Aces loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the fifth on consecutive walks issued by Hill, after the right-hander walked Tokarek to lead off the inning. UE then pushed two runs across on a fielding error by Hardy in left field on a fly ball off the bat of Jyawook to cut the USA lead to 5-3.
UE (0-1) added the game’s final run in top of the eighth on a one-out solo home run to right field by Hair.
“It’s good to get the first one under I belt,” Calvi said. “We have some new guys out there and they got the first one under the belts as well. I thought we pitched very well, and took advantage of a defensive mistake on their (Evansville) part that would have ended the inning. We were advantageous there; they gave us an opening and we took advantage of it with five (runs) in the third. We knew their starting pitcher had a good arm with good movement on his pitches; he’s very hard to square up and I feel very fortunate that we were able to get those five runs in the third.”
Martinez and Perkins each recorded one hit and one RBI apiece to lead the Jags at the plate. LaBounty and Barnes also drove in one run each.
