A little rain never hurt anyone.
Despite worsening weather conditions, Louisiana appeared poised to rally after launching back-to-back two-run home runs to chip away at Southern Miss' five-run lead.
However, the Golden Eagles’ lineup showed no signs of slowing down as they responded with a 7-run inning that carried Southern Miss to a 15-5 run-rule victory on Saturday.
“We didn’t let (the weather) affect us,” said Southern Miss first baseman Matthew Russo. “We executed during the tough situations and picked each other up. Overall, we were just trying to play our game no matter the conditions and no matter where it is.”
The victory also extended Southern Miss’ win streak to 11 straight games, but also marked the eighth straight season that the program has won at least 20 conference games.
“I love the energy they are playing with right now and the confidence they are playing with and the momentum,” Southern Miss coach Christian Ostrander said. “They are never going to quit. It doesn’t mean they’ll win every game, but they are going to play hard and give themselves a chance to win. That’s exactly what they did.”
The game marked the 29th time this season Southern Miss has recorded at least 10 hits, with the Golden Eagles boasting a 25-4 record in those contests. It also featured the 18th straight game that Southern Miss (37-13, 20-6 SBC) hit a home run.
“It’s just part of our game,” said Russo, who homered in the third inning. “We win games when we hit homers. We are not trying to do that, we are just trying to play our game. Our game just involves the home run ball. You’ve seen it a lot this year. More than in past years, I would say. It’s one of the better offenses that I have been a part of, but we are just trying to play our game no matter what that is.”
After UL (25-26, 15-11) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, the Golden Eagles quickly responded in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single from Tucker Stockman. On the same play, a pair of errors by the Cajuns allowed for Joey Urban to score, giving USM a 2-1 lead.
The Golden Eagles then built a five-run lead in the third inning after Matthew Russo hit a 2-run homer, followed by an RBI single by Ben Higdon and then an RBI triple from Drey Barrett to push the score to 6-1. The inning also ended UL’s ace pitcher, Chase Morgan’s day as he was pulled midway.
“We have 16 hitters,” Ostrander said. “There’s not a whole lot of fluff. They are guys who are not getting a lot of opportunities, who very well could do it. That’s a mark of a good time that has good options that might be on the bench. Their attitudes and the type of teammates they have keep them ready. We knew coming into the year that this lineup would be hard to get through, and we are reaping some of those benefits.”
After UL’s back-to-back home runs, the Cajuns’ pitching deteriorated in the bottom of the sixth inning as they walked in two runs and hit three more, coupled with a two-run single by Urban to push Southern Miss’ lead to 13-5. The inning then set up a game-ending two-run double for Barrett in the seventh.
“It was a universal, hey let’s turn it back up for this next couple of innings,” Russo said. “We put up two zeroes that allowed them to get back in it, but overall, we are just trying to play our game. You are not trying to do too much. That’s one of the things about this team: we always stay calm during those moments. We are always able to answer. “
First pitch for tomorrow is set for 1 p.m.
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