South Alabama defeated Nicholls State by a score of 4-3 on Apr. 14, securing a season series sweep at Stanky Field. Nick Richardson delivered the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, allowing the Jaguars to claim victory.
The game was closely contested, with South Alabama taking an early lead after Brennon Wright singled through the right side in the second inning, driving in two runs. Nicholls State responded with two runs in the third before Max Miller entered from the bullpen and struck out five consecutive batters across two innings, stopping Nicholls State’s momentum.
Wright added another RBI with a double in the fourth inning to put South Alabama ahead again. The score remained unchanged until a solo home run by Nicholls State tied it up in the eighth. In their half of that inning, Richardson singled home Robert Miranda for what proved to be the winning run. Zach Stevens pitched 1.1 innings and earned his third win of the season by closing out the ninth.
Wright finished with three RBIs for South Alabama and has tallied eight RBIs over his last three games. Rett Johnson extended his hitting streak to four games with a triple, while Marc Stephens reached base twice and pushed his own hitting streak to five games.
Head coach Mark Calvi said: “Give Tyler Smith credit for making a spot-start against a really solid club. He gave us two solid innings and then our bullpen was outstanding, only giving up one run in seven innings. I think Max Miller set the tone. He punched out five in a row. Came in, punched out the side, and I felt as though that was the game right there. A huge percentage of games are won and lost before that 27th out. I felt the game was on the line in the third. We threw Max and then Jake Middleton out there against a lineup that showed heavy left-handed splits. Luckily, we had a couple down there that were ready to go, and then Zach Stevens was outstanding late.”
Looking ahead, South Alabama will remain at home for their upcoming Sun Belt Conference weekend series against Marshall.
