South Alabama lost a close game to No. 14 Coastal Carolina by a score of 8-7 in the series finale on April 4.
The matchup was marked by several lead changes and strong performances from both teams, highlighting the competitive nature of the contest.
Stewart Puckett continued his strong hitting with a double in the first inning, helping put South Alabama on the board early. Blake Guerin’s sacrifice fly brought in Brennon Wright for an initial lead. The Jaguars’ defense made key plays, including Ethan Melton throwing out a runner at home plate for a double play in the second inning. Despite these efforts, Coastal Carolina responded with four runs in the third and added another run with a solo home run in the fourth.
South Alabama narrowed the gap throughout the game. Mike Young contributed two hits and an RBI, while Nathan Wood recorded his third multi-hit game of the season. In relief pitching, Zach Stevens delivered a season-high performance with 3.2 scoreless innings and five strikeouts.
The Jaguars rallied for five runs in the sixth inning to take back momentum but ultimately could not hold off Coastal Carolina, who scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to secure a walk-off win.
Head coach Mark Calvi said, “It sucks. But when you play high level competition you walk a fine line and sometimes this happens. We played Coastal tooth-and-nail. They pumped us, we pumped them, and got walked-off… My heart absolutely breaks for them… If you’re willing to put the work in and win, then you got to be willing to get your heart broken. We’ll bounce back and be a better team because of it.”
Looking ahead, South Alabama will continue its road trip with a midweek contest at Alabama State on Wednesday, April 8.
