In a game that was virtually decided after the second inning, the Southern Miss baseball team dominated Miami 17-6 to force a Hattiesburg regional finale against the Hurricanes. With an offensive onslaught of 13 hits, 9 walks, and 5 batters hit by pitches, Southern Miss (47-15) punched its foe in the mouth both early and late in the matchup to keep the Golden Eagles’ postseason run alive.
Scoring Summary
While Matthew Russo’s early RBI single ignited the 9-run first inning, designated hitter Joey Urban’s three-run homer, followed by Russo’s solo shot at the top of the second, gave the black and gold a 10-1 early lead. The Hurricanes (33-25) made things a little dicey in the fifth inning with four runs highlighted by Tanner Smith, cutting their deficit to five runs.
However, after a few touchy moments from Miami pitchers plunking Golden Eagles batters, the host club lit up the scoreboard in the last three innings, outscoring Miami 7-1. A solid showing by Camden Sunstrom helped keep Miami from rallying. The freshman logged 4.2 mostly clean innings, in which one lone run was scored.
Coach’s Comments
Southern Miss head coach Christian Ostrander, thrilled with his club’s performance, highlighted the toughness of his veteran-heavy lineup while also emphasizing how important it will be for the team’s maturity to show on Monday.
“You don’t have some toughness and grit about you with those performances by our team today,” Ostrander said. “All around, pitching and offensively, I was proud of how we played today, and we have to prepare ourselves again for tomorrow.”
The Numbers Never Lie
Joey Urban homered twice and drove in five runs as the Golden Eagles belted four home runs to slug their way past the Hurricanes. Urban’s first homer, a three-run shot, capped the nine-run top of the first inning. Southern Miss added to its lead with Urban’s two-run homer in the seventh.
Camden Sunstrom, the third of three Southern Miss hurlers, limited the Hurricanes to an unearned run on four hits and two walks with a strikeout to earn the win while simultaneously preserving some arm talent for Monday’s matchup.
Next Up
The regional championship game between Southern Miss and Miami will take place at 8 p.m. in Pete Taylor Park.
