Coming off of an 11-2 midweek loss to Ole Miss last Tuesday, Southern Miss (21-12, 11-4 C-USA) was unable to grab a weekend series win against FIU, losing the first two games of the series, but earned a win in Game 3 on Sunday.
The Golden Eagles got off to a rough start in Game 1. FIU got on the board first with an RBI groundout to get a 1-0 lead over Southern Miss in the first inning.
During the second inning, Southern Miss’ Brant Blaylock hit a sacrifice fly to get Southern Miss on the board and tied the game at 1-1.
During the bottom of the third inning, FIU began to go on a run as they took a 4-1 lead via a stolen base and two unearned runs.
FIU added another run in the fifth inning to make it a 5-1 game, but Matt Wallner sent a hit over the left field wall for a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning to cut FIU’s lead to 5-3.
Both teams were held scoreless in the seventh inning, but FIU added to its lead once again in the eighth inning on an RBI single.
During the final inning, Southern Miss did manage to get another score on the board on a Wallner RBI single, but it was not enough as FIU came away with the 6-4 win.
Wallner led the team with two runs for a total of three RBI. Blaylock was behind him with one RBI.
For Game 2, Southern Miss gave up four runs to start the match and another run in the second inning. It wasn’t until the top of the third inning for the Golden Eagles to get on the scoreboard on a Danny Lynch double that drove in the score from Gabe Montenegro.
However, FIU came back with five runs in the fifth inning, one in the seventh, and another five in the eighth to take a 16-3 lead heading into the ninth.
The Golden Eagles did manage to get three runs in the top of the ninth on a two-RBI single from Matthew Guidry and an RBI single from Bryant Bowen, but FIU ended up with the 16-6 win.
Southern Miss also committed three errors in the contest.
In Game 2 on Sunday, Gabe Montenegro kicked things off in the top of the first with a solo home run to left center to give his team a 1-0 start. FIU came back with three runs in the first and second innings, but a Guidry RBI double in the third inning cut FIU’s lead.
A home run from Matthew Slater in the fourth inning, followed by a Wallner score on an error and a Montenegro RBI single allowed the Golden Eagles to retake the lead for good. The team outscored FIU 6-3 the rest of the way for the 15-7 win.
Montenegro finished the game at the plate 4-for-6 with two RBI. Wallner finished with four RBI and hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning. The team as a whole outhit FIU in that department, 19-6.
The Golden Eagles’ next conference series is from April 18-20 at Pete Taylor Park against Charlotte. First pitch for Game 1 is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday.
