The Southern Miss baseball team’s run in the Sun Belt Tournament continued Thursday in a quick turnaround, second-round win over Old Dominion.
The Golden Eagles – who have now won a school-record 17 in a row – collected 14 hits and delivered a shutout on the mound to run-rule the Monarchs, 10-0, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
Behind a seven-inning, seven-strikeout performance by starter Matt Adams (6-2), Southern Miss secured a spot in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals as Christian Ostrander’s group not only looks for a conference crown but also tries to prove it’s worthy of hosting a regional when sites are selected on Sunday.
Offensively, the Golden Eagles jumped on Old Dominion in the first two innings with four runs. Jake Cook, who reached base five times in the game, scored the opening run off a Matthew Russo sacrifice fly before knocking a three-run homer over the fence in the second inning.
Cook ended like he started by scoring the team’s last run in the run-rule win. Cook, Ozzie Pratt, and Joey Urban had three hits apiece to lead the way. The trio also each homered to give the Golden Eagles 94 for the season, just one shy of the school record set in 1997.
Old Dominion (22-30, 15-15 Sun Belt) will now play Troy (38-20, 18-12) on Friday in an elimination game. The winner will play Southern Miss (43-13, 24-6) on Saturday at 9 a.m.
