South Alabama secured an 11-3 record after defeating Louisiana Tech 8-3 in the opening game of their weekend baseball series at Stanky Field. The Jaguars took control early, scoring six runs in the first inning, including a grand slam by Mike Young and a solo home run from Rett Johnson.
Mitchell Heer was the winning pitcher for South Alabama, delivering seven innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts while allowing three earned runs. He gave up a three-run homer in the third inning but limited further damage by keeping Louisiana Tech scoreless over his final four innings on the mound.
South Alabama’s offense was led by Brennon Wright and Duncan Mathews. Wright went three-for-four at bat and continued his strong season performance, ranking among national leaders in hits, batting average, and on-base percentage. Mathews also had three hits and drove in two runs.
Mike Young contributed both offensively with his grand slam—the team’s first of the season—and defensively with a diving catch. Jaxon Shineflew pitched two scoreless innings to close out the game for South Alabama.
Head coach Mark Calvi commented on his team’s performance: “Bunch of punchouts for Mitch (Heer) tonight. Really happy with his effort. (Jaxon) Shineflew came in and did what he does and was really good on the backend.”
Calvi added, “Our guys jumped on a really good Friday night arm. Brennon Wright started it off, Dunc (Duncan Mathews) got a knock, and Mike hit a change-up out and we were off and running.”
He also spoke about his team’s resilience: “We’ve been kicked in the mouth and we’ve had both pitchers and hitters get knocked to the mat. They keep getting up every time, and they keep going hard so that’s all I can ask. They play really hard. They like each other. They’re fun to be around. They enjoy the game and they’re here to win, and not any other reason than to win. That’s what I love about this group so far, still very early, but there’s really good chemistry. And I can’t ask for more than that.”
The series continues Saturday at 2:00 p.m., when junior right-hander Ryland Bozenhard is scheduled to make his first start for South Alabama against Louisiana Tech’s Hudson Rowan.
For updates on South Alabama baseball, fans can follow @SouthAlabamaBSB on Twitter or visit USAJaguars.com.
