Little did anyone know it would take eight innings to get a run across the plate, but the Southern Miss baseball team found a way to win in round one of the Sun Belt Tournament on Wednesday.
In the bottom of the eighth inning against seven-seed Coastal Carolina, the two-seed Golden Eagles got on the board when senior designated hitter Slade Wilks hit a two-out, two-run double for a 2-0 lead. Sophomore second baseman Nick Monistere followed with a three-run home run to take a 5-0 lead before sophomore pitcher Colby Allen came in to close the game out on the mound.
How it happened
Other than the bottom of the eighth inning, there was no real offense from either side as Southern Miss starter Billy Oldham tossed seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts on 105 pitches. Coastal starter Henry Weycker went six innings, holding the Golden Eagles to just two hits.
The big eight inning for Southern Miss resulted in Gabe Broadus, Dalton McIntyre, Wilks, Peyton Lacy, and Monistere each coming across the plate.
The numbers don’t lie
Wilks’ heroics happened in his last at-bat, extending his hitting streak to 29 games. Despite Monistere’s medial season average of .255, he reached base twice (HR and a walk) while driving in three.
Although Oldham did not record the win, his ERA dropped to 3.44 and his nine strikeouts boosted his season total to 93. Allen’s two innings of work secured Southern Miss’ first shutout win of the 2024 season.
Next up
Southern Miss will play three-seed Troy in the winners’ bracket on Thursday at 4 p.m. at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala. Troy defeated Appalachian State 6-5 with Hattiesburg native Luke Lyon starting the game on the mound.
