LITTLE ROCK – The UALR baseball team (10-5, 0-2) put together a late rally on Saturday night but was unable to overcome its 9-3 deficit as South Alabama took the second installment of a three-game Sun Belt Conference series, 9-7, at Gary Hogan Field.

The Jaguars outhit the Trojans 14-to-7 on Saturday, led by a 3-for-5 effort from outfielder Sean Laird, who hit a two-run homer in the sixth and finished with two runs scored and three RBI. Zach Grichor added a 3-for-6 performance in the win, while Taylor White went 2-for-4 with three RBI.

USA starter Garrett Harris improved to 2-1 on the year by limiting the Trojans to four hits and three runs, with six strikeouts, over 6.0 innings of work. The Jaguar staff racked up 11 strikeouts in the win, with reliever Lance Baxter fanning three over the final 1 1/3 to pick up his third save of the year.

UALR starter Anthony Pryor (1-1) was saddled with the loss after allowing six hits and three runs over 2.2 innings. Senior Sean Potter gave the Trojans a chance to get back into the game by holding USA to two hits and a run, with four strikeouts, over the final 3.2 frames.

The Jaguars jumped all over Pryor in the top of the first, manufacturing three runs off four hits to take the early 3-0 lead. Grichor got the South Alabama offense going with a single up the middle and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Grichor scored from second on a RBI single through the left side by Jake Overstreet, and White delivered a two-out, two-run base knock moments later to make it a 3-0 contest.

The Trojans cut into South Alabama’s lead in the bottom half when junior Jason Houston plated freshman Tyler Cameron with a run-scoring single to center. UALR made it a 3-2 contest in the bottom of the second after senior Landis Wilson doubled to right and came around to score on a run-scoring single up the middle by junior Casey McCollum.

Leading 3-2, the Jaguars pushed across two more runs in the top of the fourth off a run-scoring single by Laird and a RBI groundout by White. Laird struck again in the top of the sixth, belting a two-run homer to center as part of a three-run inning as the Jaguars went ahead 8-2.

Down 8-2 in the bottom of the sixth, McCollum picked up his second RBI of the game when he followed back-to-back two-out walks with a base knock up the middle. The Jaguars answered right back in the top of the seventh, using a RBI single by Grichor to go on top 9-3.

The Trojans rallied in the bottom of the eighth, pushing across four runs off South Alabama’s bullpen to make it a 9-7 contest. Houston (walk) and junior Jake Rowell (hit by pitch) both reached base to start things off, with Houston scoring from third on a RBI groundout by senior Tyson Parks. Rowell scored the following at-bat on a double to deep center by Wilson (his second of the game), who crossed the plate moments later when junior Bryce Killingsworth hit a two-out triple to right.

The Jaguars called on Jerry Reese with two outs on the board and a runner on third, but the reliever uncorked a wild pitch which allowed Killingsworth to score from third. After allowing a two-out single to junior Brock Feldmann, Reese got the hook in favor of Baxter – South Alabama’s fourth pitcher of the inning. Baxter was able to finally end the inning as he induced a fly out from the first batter he faced. He went on to strike out the side in the bottom of the ninth to pick up his third save of the season.

The two teams close out the three-game conference series Sunday at 1 p.m.