(Photos/Sean Smith)
Game Three:
The Golden Eagles were victorious after seven innings in the final game as Carson Paetow’s walk-off grand slam gave Southern Miss a 12-2 lead.
“I was just trying to get some RBI’s in and maybe get one base to and see if we can add some runs to our lead.” Paetow said.
Paetow was three of four this afternoon with four RBIs coming from the grand slam. The Golden Eagles had 12 hits, which were the most they have had all weekend against Rice.
Head Coach Scott Berry felt like it was their “strongest outing” of the weekend.
“We were aided by some errors…. and some hit by pitches. But you know, good teams capitalize on those things, and if you’re not really good on the mound then you’re not going to pitch around those things.” Berry said.
Southern Miss was excellent on the mound behind starting pitcher Hurston Waldrep.
Waldrep, who did not have the strongest outing last week, came in today and pitched a complete game due to the run rule.
His final line was seven innings, five hits, two errors, three walks, 12 strikeouts on a career-high 113 pitches.
“I kind of felt like I had a redemption weekend after last weekend. But the teams coming in hot, playing good, everyone is playing good. I just had a lot of confidence coming into today.” Waldrep said.
Southern Miss got on the board first with Will McGillis credited for an RBI double in the second inning.
Paetow scored on a fielder’s choice for a 2-0 lead in the third.
In the top of the fourth inning, Rice tied the game with a two-run homer by Nathan Becker.
Paetow led off with a double in the bottom of the fifth, and Reece Ewing batted him in by getting a double of his own.
Christopher Sargent got a single, Ewing scored on a throwing error by Rice and Danny Lynch tallied an RBI single to plate Sargent for a 5-2 lead.
Dustin Dickerson and Ewing led off with singles in the bottom of the seventh, and Sargent plated a runner with an RBI single.
Gabe Montenegro reached on a fielder’s choice error to score a run. Lynch was credited with a sac-fly RBI before Paetow’s walk-off grand slam to win the game 12-2/
“I want people to understand that this a totally different group. I think what this group has that I haven’t had before is that when you get down to the end the chemistry is there. But this chemistry was formed much earlier and I think you’re seeing that right now and the benefits from it.” Berry said.
Southern Miss now stands at 32-8 (16-2), with 14 straight wins, which is tied for the longest streak in program history.
They look to add to that streak Tuesday night as they travel to Hammond, Louisiana to take on Southeastern Louisiana at 6 pm.
Game Two:
Five runs in the fifth inning pushed Southern Miss past Rice 6-3 for their thirteenth straight victory and their sixth consecutive series win.
However, the Golden Eagles had to battle for the win as Rice took an early lead.
The turning point of the game was in the top of the third. With the game tied at one apiece, Rice drove two runs across the plate to go up 3-1.
Hunter Riggins, the Golden Eagle starter on the mound, was taken out, leaving the bases loaded with no one out.
Then came Isaiah Rhodes. Rhodes downed three batters in a row to get Southern Miss out of the inning with no further damage.
“He pitches on a different level. You know his mindset is different than anybody else.” Head Coach Scott Berry said. “He is very intense but with that intensity comes a lot of confidence.”
Rhodes earned the win in the game with a final line of three innings played, one hit, two walks and six strikeouts.
“I was confident last year that I could pitch and I got my chances here and I ran with it for sure,” Rhodes said. “I haven’t lost confidence. I have just been building confidence over the past year, and since I’ve gotten here my confidence has only grown.”
The relief pitching for Southern Miss came in clutch as Drew Boyd and Dalton Rodgers all got opportunities on the mound, and they didn’t allow any runs.
“Great job on our relievers, six runners inherited and none of them scored,” Berry said.
Southern Miss got going on the scoreboard with a solo home run by Will McGillis in the bottom of the second the bottom of the fifth is where the bats came out.
McGillis led off with a double, followed by a Charlie Fischer ground-rule double which plated McGillis.
Blake Johnson blasted a two-run home run to left field, his first of the year. Johnson has been out for most of the season due to a broken hand.
“It was a good feeling me and the coaches have been we’ve been working really hard on the swing to get back and just to finally pay off really helps me feel good,” Johnson said.
After a pitch hit Reece Ewing, Gabe Montenegro plated both Ewing and Johnson for a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 6-3.
Southern Miss now sits at 31-8 (15-2), the best start in 39 games in program history.
“We’ve had to come from behind but I think that’s a mark of a good team to be able to do that and consistently do it. There’s a lot of confidence, I think our guys believe they’re not going to lose and they’re going to win and that says a lot right there.” Berry said.
Southern Miss will go for their third straight weekend sweep tomorrow at 1 pm.
Game One:
Tanner Hall’s eight-inning outing fueled Southern Miss’ twelfth straight win by beating Rice 1-0 Friday.
Hall started the game with seven straight strikeouts and it seemed like just another day at the office for him.
“He was really good,” Head Coach Scott Berry said, “He strikes out the side in the first two innings and ends up with 13 on the night with only one walk. He showed his athleticism by getting off the mound on a couple plays to first. He picks a guy off at second in the seventh inning with one out. That’s a pretty special night for him.”
Hall threw for his final line of eight innings played, three hits, 13 strikeouts on 103 pitches.
“I was feeling confident in the bullpen and everything so going out I was pretty excited.” Hall said.
Last season, it seemed like Hall would not pitch more than four to five innings, but he has consistently gone out and pitched seven to eight.
“In the fall we started extending everything, I was going about five in our intrasquads and started feeling more comfortable and that was the plan all along to stretch everything out and maintain those pitches and the ability to make them.” Hall said.
The game was the classic pitcher’s duel. Southern Miss got the first hit of the game in the bottom of the first with a double by Dustin Dickerson.
However, the Golden Eagles stranded him and Rice came up with their first base hit in the top of the fourth with a double. They went on to strand him at second.
Southern Miss finally broke the tie when Dickerson hit a lead-off double. Reece Ewing advanced him to third base with a ground out.
Then, Christopher Sargent bat him in with a sac-fly RBI.
“We talk a lot about steady wins the race, coming out and being consistent and you know being grateful for your abilities and don’t take them for granted,” Berry said.
This one was as steady as they come, with just five hits for the Golden Eagles. Nevertheless, it was once again the pitching that rose to the occasion.
