MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama played two high-profile games against Southeastern Conference opponents Tuesday night, and both ended in shutouts. The Jaguar baseball team blanked Alabama 3-0 at Eddie Stanky Field, while No. 24 South Alabama softball lost 8-0 in five innings at top-ranked LSU.
Baseball: South Alabama 3, Alabama 0
Three South Alabama pitchers combined on the shutout. Right-hander Austin Bembnowsky (2-2) started and threw five scoreless innings, allowing two hits with five strikeouts and one walk to earn the win.
Ben Taylor followed with four scoreless innings of relief, striking out a career-high eight batters while allowing four hits and a walk to earn his second save of the season.
The Jaguars (16-9) scored first in the bottom of the third. Matt Bolger led off with a double, took third on a throwing error and scored on Ryan Raspino’s RBI groundout to short.
South Alabama made it 2-0 in the fourth. Bud Collura singled to lead off and reached second when a throw on Adam Ballew’s sacrifice bunt attempt sailed wide of the base. Danny Martinez’s groundout moved both runners into scoring position, and Cole Gleason’s sacrifice fly to right brought Collura home.
The Jaguars loaded the bases in the fifth but did not score. Alabama loaded the bases in the sixth on a leadoff single and two straight walks by left-hander Austin Stephens, but Taylor entered and struck out the next two batters before getting an inning-ending groundout.
Gleason doubled with one out in the bottom of the sixth and scored on Bolger’s RBI single to center for the final run.
Bolger went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Collura added two hits, and Martinez and Raspino each had a hit and an RBI.
South Alabama travels to Louisiana-Monroe this weekend for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series.
Softball: No. 1 LSU 8, No. 24 South Alabama 0 (5 innings)
In Baton Rouge, La., South Alabama managed two hits as top-ranked LSU won by run rule in five innings. The Tigers improved to 31-1 and scored in each of the four innings they batted, including three runs that came on a passed ball, an illegal pitch and a wild pitch.
LSU scored three runs in the first inning, two in the second and two in the third, then added a solo home run in the fourth.
Farish Beard (4-2) took the loss, allowing seven runs, five earned, on five hits with three walks. Kalen McGill pitched two innings of relief, allowing one earned run on two hits with a strikeout and a walk.
Chloe Rathburn and Haleigh Lowe each went 1-for-2 for the Jaguars’ only hits, and Kaleigh Todd drew a walk.
South Alabama (21-7) suffered its second run-rule loss of the season, following a six-inning defeat at Louisiana-Monroe on March 15. The Jaguars fell to 3-2 on the road and 1-2 against SEC opponents this season. LSU leads the all-time series 7-2.
The Jaguars travel to Atlanta this weekend for a three-game Sun Belt series against Georgia State, beginning with a doubleheader Saturday at noon and concluding Sunday at 11 a.m.
Update: Series History
Entering Tuesday’s baseball game, Alabama led the all-time series with South Alabama 56-48. The series began in 1967. The teams had not met since April 3, 2012, at Eddie Stanky Field, and Alabama had won the previous three meetings. South Alabama’s most recent win over the Crimson Tide had come in 2011, the final season under former head coach Steve Kittrell. The Jaguars entered the game 15-9, and Alabama was 13-9.
The South Alabama softball team, 21-6 entering the game, was 0-2 all-time against top-ranked opponents before Tuesday. The Jaguars lost 4-0 to then-No. 1 Alabama in 2013 and 13-0 in five innings to No. 1 Florida in 2009. South Alabama and LSU split two games in Baton Rouge last season. LSU entered Tuesday 30-1 overall and 23-0 at home.
