STATESBORO, Ga. (Interstat) — Rett Johnson homered twice and drove in four runs, Duncan Mathews launched a grand slam and the South Alabama Jaguars erupted for 13 runs on 13 hits to rout the Georgia Southern Eagles 13-5 in a Sun Belt Conference baseball game Saturday at J.I. Clements Stadium.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded in the evening, saw the Jaguars (20-15, 1-1 Sun Belt) rebound emphatically from a 5-3 loss in the series opener on Friday. The Eagles fell to 12-22 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

The most important part of the game came in the top of the second inning, when South Alabama broke a 1-1 tie with a five-run outburst, all with two outs. After a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded forced in a run, catcher Duncan Mathews delivered the decisive blow. He hammered a 1-0 offering from Georgia Southern starter Nate DeGondea deep over the left-field fence for his fifth home run of the season, a grand slam that cleared the bases and staked the Jaguars to a 6-1 lead they would not relinquish.

Johnson, the Jaguars’ left fielder, built on that lead with a solo home run to center in the fourth inning. After Georgia Southern chipped away with a run in the third on a James McCoy solo shot and three more in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run homer from Brady Christman, Johnson answered again. He led off the sixth with his second solo homer of the day, this one to right-center, to make it 8-5.

Johnson, the top star for South Alabama, finished 3 for 5. He added a two-run double in a four-run seventh inning that put the game out of reach, scoring pinch-runner Ty Bigby and A.J. Stephens. Brennon Wright followed with an RBI single to cap the scoring. Wright went 2 for 4 with three RBIs.

The Jaguars’ bullpen silenced the Eagles’ bats over the final four innings. After starter Ryland Bozenhard allowed five runs, four earned, on nine hits over five innings, relievers Jake Middleton and Zach Stevens were flawless. Middleton worked a scoreless sixth, and Stevens earned the win with three perfect innings of relief, striking out four.

Georgia Southern’s Christman went 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. McCoy also homered for the Eagles. Connor Fugate and Thomas Burke each tossed a scoreless inning of relief in the late going.

The victory defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 6-4 win for Georgia Southern. South Alabama’s ELO win probability was 54.4%.

The teams conclude the three-game series Sunday afternoon.