For three straight games this weekend, Louisiana jumped out to an early lead over Southern Miss but could never get the job done, allowing the Golden Eagles to come away with their third straight Sun Belt sweep.
Southern Miss (38-13, 21-6 Sun Belt), which has now won a national-best 12 games in a row, went for 40 hits across the three games against the Ragin’ Cajuns (25-27, 15-12) in Hattiesburg. Here’s a quick breakdown of each.
Friday: Southern Miss 11, Louisiana 3
Behind another strong outing by ace J.B. Middleton, the Golden Eagles scored 10 unanswered runs and recorded 15 hits to secure the series opener. Middleton improved to 9-1, giving up three runs in the top of the second inning but proving clean the rest of the way with 10 strikeouts. The junior right-hander, recently named a finalist for the Ferriss Trophy, fanned five of the last six batters he faced.
Offensively, Southern Miss bounced back from a 3-1 deficit off an Ozzie Pratt two run home run in the bottom of the second. The Golden Eagles took the lead for good with three runs in the fourth. Nick Monistere opened that scoring frame with a two-run single, before Matthew Russo added an RBI fielder’s choice. A Joey Urban home run in the fifth, plus two-run frames in the sixth and eighth innings, made for the 11-3 win.
Saturday: Southern Miss 15, Louisiana 5
Battling not only an early deficit but the weather, Southern Miss used a seven-run sixth inning to break open a close game and go for the run-rule win. All nine Golden Eagle starters recorded at least one hit, with eight of them driving in at least one run.
Drey Barrett led the way with four RBI on a pair of hits, while Urban added two RBI on a game-high three hits. Barrett’s biggest hit of the day may have been a two-run double in the seventh inning that put Southern Miss up by 10 and completed the run-rule.
Starting pitcher Matt Adams did give up two home runs to Louisiana, in both the fifth and sixth innings, but still managed the win to improve to 5-2. Colby Allen allowed one hit over the last 1.2 innings with three strikeouts to garner his 10th save of the season and 17th of his career, tying him for seventh on the program’s all-time chart.
Sunday: Southern Miss 9, Louisiana 6
Southern Miss launched four home runs to rally from down five, capturing the 9-6 win in the series finale. Urban, Russo, Monistere, and Tucker Stockman all delivered long balls, bringing the team’s home run streak to 19 games in a row.
Louisiana jumped out to a 5-0 lead before back-to-back, two-run frames brought Southern Miss within one run heading into the fourth inning. The Golden Eagles then took the lead for good with three runs in the bottom of the fourth before adding two insurance runs in the sixth.
After Grayden Harris allowed Louisiana’s five runs in the second inning, Kros Sivley trotted out in relief and was able to keep the Ragin’ Cajuns in check. Josh Och and Landon Payne rounded out the game on the mound.
What the coach said
Southern Miss head coach Christian Ostrander was more than proud of his team for fighting through not only the rain but early deficits in each game.
“There were several tough conditions throughout the weekend. Being a former pitcher, I can understand how balls were wet along with other factors, but we capitalized,” he said. “I appreciate how the guys responded each time. We trust these guys, and I love the energy they’re playing with right now.”
Postseason outlook
With one weekend series remaining before the Sun Belt tournament, Southern Miss is vying against Coastal Carolina for the tourney’s top seed. Coastal Carolina, which has won 11 straight conference games, would need to drop two of three against Old Dominion next weekend and Southern Miss would have to get the sweep over Troy for the Golden Eagles to get the No. 1 seed. Either way, Southern Miss has a strong chance of not only winning the Sun Belt tournament but earning a solid seeding in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
