MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama baseball won its weekend series against North Florida with a 9-8 victory Sunday at Eddie Stanky Field, the softball team went 1-2 on the final days of a California trip, and the men’s basketball team’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament run ended with a 62-59 loss to Western Kentucky.
Baseball: Jaguars Hold Off North Florida
A day after a 15-2 loss to North Florida on Saturday, South Alabama won the rubber game 9-8 on Sunday.
The Jaguars took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. North Florida answered with five runs in the top of the third to go ahead 5-3, but Nolan Early hit a three-run home run in the bottom half to put South Alabama back in front 6-5. The Jaguars added two more runs in the inning for an 8-5 lead.
North Florida scored twice in the fifth to pull within 8-7. South Alabama added a run in the sixth, and the Ospreys scored once in the eighth to make it 9-8, but did not score again.
Dylan Stamey earned his third win of the season with 4 1/3 innings of relief, allowing four hits and one earned run while matching his career high with four strikeouts. Kyle Bartsch pitched a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout for his fourth save.
South Alabama improved to 14-3, and North Florida fell to 11-5. The Jaguars play at Alabama State in Montgomery at 6 p.m. Tuesday before opening Sun Belt play with a weekend series at Troy.
Softball: Win Over Long Beach State Closes Trip
South Alabama lost 2-1 to No. 9 UCLA on Saturday. The Bruins improved to 20-4.
On Sunday, the Jaguars lost 2-1 to Utah in the early game before beating host Long Beach State 4-1.
Farish Beard improved to 9-0, striking out nine and allowing three hits and one earned run in six innings against Long Beach State. Hannah Campbell earned her team-leading third save of the season. Campbell’s record moved to 9-4 over the weekend.
South Alabama opens Sun Belt play Saturday at Jaguar Field against Louisiana-Lafayette.
Men’s Basketball: Late Turnover Costly Against WKU
South Alabama led Western Kentucky with 25 seconds remaining in its Sun Belt Tournament game, but a turnover allowed the Hilltoppers to take the lead, and they held on for a 62-59 win.
The Jaguars had a chance to tie with 9.2 seconds left, but a 3-point attempt by Barrington Stevens III missed. South Alabama kept possession with 0.5 seconds left, and Augustine Rubit’s last-second heave hit the rim twice before bouncing out.
Rubit, a junior, led South Alabama with 22 points and eight rebounds. Senior Javier Carter added 11 points, six rebounds and a block. Stevens, Wright and Ammons each scored six points.
Sun Belt Tournament
Sixth-seeded Western Kentucky followed its win over South Alabama by beating second-seeded Arkansas State 58-56 on Sunday. Fourth-seeded FIU upset top-seeded Middle Tennessee 61-57, keeping the Blue Raiders out of the championship game for the second straight season.
FIU and Western Kentucky meet for the conference championship at 6 p.m. Monday. Western Kentucky is seeking its second straight Sun Belt title and NCAA Tournament berth.
