Southern Miss center fielder and Madison native Jake Cook broke up a tie score with a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to lead the No. 22 Golden Eagles to a 9-4 win over New Orleans on Tuesday.
Magnolia Heights alum Ozzie Pratt led the Golden Eagles’ 12-hit attack with three hits, while Cook, Nick Monistere, and Carson Paetow collected two apiece. Cook and Paetow also accounted for multiple RBIs.
With the score tied at 4-4, Privateer reliever Ira Austin registered two strikeouts to open the frame. A fielding error and a walk gave the Golden Eagles life in the inning, before Cook homered off the scoreboard in left center for the first of the season to give Southern Miss (32-13, 15-6 Sun Belt) a lead it would not surrender.
Southern Miss added to its advantage with two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. A leadoff double by freshman Drey Barret was complemented by a run-scoring single knocked by Ben Higdon. Moments later, Higdon advanced to second on a wild pitch before scoring on a Davis Gillespie single.
New Orleans opened the game’s scoring with a two-run homer in the first from Bryce Callaway. That was the Privateers’ only lead as the Golden Eagles used a three-run third to push out ahead.
Pratt opened the bottom of the third with a single. After an out, Pratt went to second on a Monistere single and third on a Privateers fielder’s choice. Paetow then singled two runs in with a shot to right before Barrett finished the inning’s scoring with a sacrifice fly.
Higdon knocked in another run in the bottom of the fifth inning when he grounded into a double play to make the score 4-2.
The Privateers fought back to tie the score with two runs in the top of the sixth. The visitors strung together three hits and a pair of walks, with Matt Gonzalez and Bryan Loriga both collecting RBI singles to account for the runs.
Southern Miss reliever Kros Sivley surrendered just two hits over 1 1/3 innings to get the victory, while Colby Allen hurled two scoreless frames to finish the contest with two strikeouts to earn his ninth save. This was the closer’s 16th career save as he is in eighth place at the school.
The Golden Eagles continue their homestand Friday when they play host to Arkansas State for a three-game Sun Belt series. Friday’s game starts at 6 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN+.
