MOBILE, Ala. — Ryne Long and Cody Van Aken combined on a shutout Wednesday night as South Alabama baseball shut out Jackson State 2-0 at Eddie Stanky Field.
The win came one night after the Jaguars beat Mississippi State and improved South Alabama to 20-10 on the season. It was the team’s fourth shutout of the year and the third with Long as the starting pitcher.
Long Goes Seven
Long (2-2), a right-hander, worked seven innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out five to earn his second win of the season. He retired Jackson State in order in each of his final two innings.
Van Aken, also a right-hander, followed with two scoreless innings of relief, striking out one to pick up his third save.
Two-Out Hits Decide It
The game’s only runs came in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ryan Raspino singled with one out, extending his hitting streak to nine games. With two outs, Bud Collura lined an RBI single to right field to bring Raspino home, and Cole Billingsley followed with an RBI single to center that scored Collura for a 2-0 lead.
Danny Martinez went 2-for-4 with a double for South Alabama. Collura and Billingsley each finished with a hit and an RBI.
Sun Belt Standings
South Alabama is 7-5 in Sun Belt Conference play, good for fifth place. Georgia State leads the league at 6-2 and has won three straight. The Jaguars are a game back in the loss column of Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas-Little Rock, both 7-4, and a full game behind second-place Texas State at 8-4.
Up Next
The Jaguars travel to Jonesboro, Ark., this weekend for a three-game Sun Belt series against Arkansas State.
