South Alabama secured a 7-5 victory over Nicholls State on Tuesday night in Thibodaux, improving its season record to 3-1. The Jaguars took an early lead when Stewart Puckett singled home Duncan Mathews in the first inning. Mathews later hit a double that brought Brennon Wright home from first base during the third.
Senior pitcher Hayden O’Dell made his debut for South Alabama, pitching 3.1 innings and allowing one run on three hits while striking out five batters. In the sixth inning, Mike Young hit his third home run of the season, followed by a defensive error that allowed Ethan Melton to score and another two-RBI single from Puckett.
Bryant Quimby came in during the fourth inning for his first appearance as a Jaguar, delivering 3.1 innings of shutout pitching before leaving with two runners on base. Nicholls State responded with four runs in the eighth inning.
Andrew Floyd entered with two outs in the eighth and ended the threat with a strikeout. He then finished off the ninth despite allowing two runners to reach base and secure his first save of the season.
Head coach Mark Calvi praised his relievers: “Quimby came in at a turning point in the game, with first and third and got two fly balls to get us out of it. He just really came up huge for us. And Floyd was phenomenal. He came in in a jam and closed it out and was just proud of those guys’ efforts tonight. We needed everyone to get it done tonight.”
Brennon Wright went 2-for-5 at bat, scoring twice, while Mathews scored twice as well and contributed an RBI double. Puckett led with three RBIs during his 2-for-5 performance.
The win brings South Alabama’s all-time record against Nicholls State to 38-18 over 56 games.
Next up for South Alabama is a three-game series at College of Charleston starting Friday, February 20th.
