Baseball Ends Season with 9-2 Loss

MIAMI, Fla. - Josh Morgan homered twice and drove in four runs, and P.J. Walters struck out seven in a complete gamew to lead South Alabama to a 9-2 victory over Middle Tennessee in the title game of the Sun Belt Championships at University Park.

The Jaguars scored single runs in the first and second before posting four runs in the third and two more in the fourth to take an 8-1 lead. Morgan had two-run homers in both the third and fourth innings, his 15th and 16th of the season.

Walters (10-6) allowed two runs, both solo homers, and struck out eight to pick up the victory, tossing his fifth complete game of the year.

The Blue Raiders played in the tournament championship game for the fourth time in five years in the Sun Belt. The squad ends the season 32-23 after winning 12 of its last 16 contests, including three of the last four SBC series.

The game was the last for eight Middle Tennessee seniors, including Eric McNamee, Nate Jaggers, Josh Archer, Chase Swing, Eric Blevins, Kyler Wetherington, Aaron Wallus and Chris LeGuenec.

The Jaguars (35-25) struck for a run in the first after Patrick Weaver doubled to rightcenter with one out and David Freese singled to left on an 0-2 pitch, driving in the run for a 1-0 USA lead.

South Alabama's Jeff Cunningham led off the second with a single, but was erased on a 1-6-3 doubleplay when Joel Collins tried to bunt him over. But Jeff Morris followed with a solo homer to leftcenter, just his second round-tripper of the season, for a 2-0 USA advantage.

The Jags added to the lead to start the third, with Freese drawing a leadoff walk and Morgan following with a line drive that cleared the wall in leftfield for a 4-0 edge. The second homer of the contest for USA chased Middle Tennessee starter Chase Swing (1-4) from the game after the senior allowed four runs on six hits in two-plus innings.

Quendon Montgomery continued the inning with a triple against reliever Tyler Copeland, and pinch-hitter Aaron George singled home the run against another reliever, Eric Blevins. A groundout moved the runner to second before a slow-roller through the right side plated George for a 6-0 USA lead.

The Blue Raiders got on the board in the fourth with a leadoff homer to left from Jaggers, his team-leading 14th of the season.

Freese drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning before Morgan belted his second homer of the contest, a towering drive to leftfield for his 16th round-tripper of the season, giving the Jags an 8-1 lead.

Josh Archer's solo homer in the fifth was his fourth of the year and the final run for the Blue Raiders.

GAME NOTES
Middle Tennessee played in its fourth Sun Belt Tournament championship game in five years in the league and third straight overall. The Blue Raiders moved to 1-3 in SBC Tournament title games ... Eric McNamee ended his career with a career-best 15-game hitting streak ... Nate Jaggers ended his career with an 11-game hitting streak.

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