Late Surge Lifts South Alabama Over Troy

Friday, May 18

Troy, Ala.

6:00 p.m.

Troy University

South Alabama

Photo by: Mike Strasinger

5/18/2012 9:11:00 PM | Baseball

By: Adam Prendergast

TROY, Ala. – South Alabama rallied from an early deficit with 11-unanswered runs to defeat Troy 11-3 on Friday at Riddle-Pace Field and even the three-game Sun Belt series at one game each.

The Trojans and Jaguars will play the rubber game of the series Saturday at 6 p.m. in a game that will be televised live on the Sun Belt Network. Troy will honor its four seniors – Tyler Hannah, A.J. Howard, Tyler Ray and Boone Shear – in a ceremony at 5:35 p.m. The Trojans enter the final day of the regular season with multiple scenarios in place to make the Sun Belt Tournament next week with the easiest being to win on Saturday.

Troy scored all of its runs in the second inning on a two-run homer by Chase Mathis and a solo blast by Hannah. The Trojans had a chance to blow the game open in the first inning after Jag starter Dillon Buhrkuhl walked the bases loaded. However, Buhrkuhl was able to record a strikeout to get out of the frame without allowing a run.

Drew Cofield started the South Alabama (21-32, 15-14 Sun Belt) rally with a two-out homer in the fourth to close the gap to 3-1. Troy had a chance to answer in the home half of the frame with runners at second and third and one out, but Jaguar reliever Andrew Fonzi retired two in a row to end the threat.

South Alabama took the lead for good with three runs in the sixth inning, two of which were unearned following an error which would have ended the inning with Troy leading 3-2. Jordan Patterson plated the first run of the frame with a double to left-center and Dustin Dalken gave the Jaguars the lead with a single down the line in left following the error (which scored a run).

The Jaguars added single runs in the seventh and eighth innings before blowing the game open with five runs in the ninth.

Fonzi (1-3) baffled the Trojan hitters all night as he did not allow a run and scattered four hits over a career-best 7.2 innings. Joe Hernandez (4-3) was charged with the loss for Troy after he allowed four runs – two earned – on seven hits in 5.1 innings of work.

Seven Jaguars finished with multiple hits in the game as South Alabama belted out 18 hits. Mathis was 3-for-3 and finished a double away from cycle and Danny Collins added a pair of hits.