Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Daphe, AL - The United States Sports Academy Eagles Baseball Team rallied again to walk-off the Xavier University Gold Rush 6-5, on Saturday at the Daphne Sports Complex. The Eagles scored four runs in the bottom of the 7^th inning to pick up their fifth consecutive win to open the season. USSA dropped game two of the doubleheader by a score of 9-5.

In game one the Eagles fell behind 2-0 before tying the game in the bottom of the fifth inning on a two-run homerun by Hayden Jones, his 3^rd on the young season.  Ray Hernandez pitched four innings of one-run relief after starter Mitchel Sampson pitched the first two innings.  The Gold Rush took a 5-2 lead with a three-run top of the 7^th before the Eagles struck with their second day of heroics.  USSA benefited from a pair of walks before singles by Randy Hernandez and Evan Jacob cut the lead to 5-3. Then with the bases loaded, Dominick Hartman and Hayden Phillips walked to tie the game at 5-5.  After a pitching change Joseph Monaghan was hit by a pitch to give the Eagles the game one victory.  Ryan Carson gained the win for USSA after the four-run inning.

"It was another day of no quit in our team," said Head Coach Mike Neal.  "Our kids never gave in and grinned out tough at bats for us to win," added Neal.

In game two, the Eagles were plagued by eight walks and two crucial errors as they were unable to claim the series sweep.  The Gold Rush took a 4-0 second inning lead taking advantage of four walks by the Eagles.  Xavier added a pair of runs to take a 6-0 lead in the third inning.  USSA scored four runs in the bottom of the third to claw back to a 6-4 deficit.  Hayden Phillips had a two-run single and Weston Brock a sacrifice fly to get the Eagles back into the game.  Xavier came back and added three runs against reliever Monaghan.  Monaghan then settled in for three shutout innings to keep USSA in the game.  Hayden Jones had an RBI triple in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 9-5 but the Eagles were unable to do anymore damage and dropped the final game of the series.

USSA starts the season with a 5-1 record and has the week off before traveling to Jackson, Mississippi for a rematch of the season opening series against Tougaloo College.  Xavier opens their season with a record of 1-2.