Coming off a season-high for runs and hits in its 18-2 win over the University of Louisiana-Monroe, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles won three of their last four games and looked to continue its winning ways as they faced The University of Texas at San Antonio in a three-game home series this weekend.

On Friday, starting pitcher Christian Talley paved the way with a complete game for the Golden Eagles as they defeated the Roadrunners, 6-2, in the opening game of the series at Pete Taylor Park.

Leading off the bottom of the first, junior infielder Connor Barron blasted a double down the right-field line off the first pitch from starting Roadrunner pitcher Brock Hartson. A sacrifice bunt by Michael Sterling allowed Tim Lynch to bring in Barron on a groundout.

In the second inning, the Roadrunners (15-7, 2-2) knotted the game at 1-1 with an RBI double from Mike Warren. However, in the third, a failed pickoff error by the Roadrunners led to Sterling’s RBI groundout.
The Golden Eagles added two more runs in the fourth with hits from Nick Dawson and Matt Durst, making the lead 4-1.

The Roadrunners fought hard in the fifth, cutting the deficit with an RBI groundout from C.J. Pickering, but Southern Miss scored in the bottom of the inning on Mason Robbins’ two-run triple.

For the game, Talley struck-out a career-high 12 players, limited the UTSA to five hits and just six base runners. It was the third time this season a Southern Miss pitcher struck-out at least 10 batters in a game this year.
“He threw everything for strikes and covered nine innings on 101 pitches,” said Southern Miss coach Scott Berry. “He was really outstanding.”

On Saturday afternoon, the Roadrunners snapped the Golden Eagles three-game winning streak, winning 4-1 in the second game of the series.

Southern Miss jumped out to an early lead off of a sacrifice fly by Dylan Burdeaux in the fourth, but the Golden Eagles struggled getting hits throughout the game.

Golden Eagle pitcher Conor Fisk held the Roadrunners to three hits and two walks with three strikeouts through seven-plus innings; however, he began the eighth inning with a leadoff walk. He was replaced by Jake Winston who allowed a John Welborn single for UTSA followed by an error that could have been an inning-ending double play for Southern Miss, but UTSA tacked on a run.

UTSA then collected RBI singles from RJ Perucki and Tony Ramirez, sandwiched by a Mike Warren bases-loaded walk to round up the scoring for the Roadrunners.

UTSA reliever Wesley Cox threw two innings, grabbing the victory for UTSA and improving to 4-1 on the season.

Matt Durst was able to extend his team-best hitting streak to 10 games, earning two hits on the afternoon.

In the rubber match, the Golden Eagles scored six runs over the last three innings after trailing 8-4 at the end of the fourth, including a walk-off home run by Dylan Burdeaux to defeat the Roadrunners 10-9 Sunday afternoon.
The Roadrunners (16-8, 3-3) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first with second baseman Jesse Baker hitting a RBI single, allowing Horacio Correa to score. Before the end of the first inning, Tim Lynch hit an RBI single, scoring Barron to give the Golden Eagles to cut the lead to one.

Southern Miss tied the game 2-2 in the second inning before trailing again at the end of the third inning after UTSA third baseman RJ Perucki blasted an RBI single to left field.

In the fourth inning, UTSA outscored USM 5-2. Roadrunner centerfield John Welborn reached on a fielder’s choice, advancing Mitchell Matulia to third base and allowing a runner to score. Then, Baker hit an RBI single and Perucki hit an RBI double, giving the Roadrunners two more runs and increasing the lead to 8-4.

In the seventh, the Roadrunners converted on a double steal that scored Perucki to make the lead 9-4. The Golden Eagles managed to fight back in the inning. RBIs by Lynch and Robbins cut the deficit to 9-6 by the end of the seventh.

Barron hit a two-run homer to the right field in the eighth inning, tying the game 8-8 before going into the final inning.

The Golden Eagles trailed 9-8 going into the bottom of the ninth but freshman Dylan Burdeaux hit a game-winning, two-run homer off of relief pitcher Matt Simms to give Southern Miss the victory. It was Burdeaux’s second home run of the season.

Connor Barron and Nick Dawson led the team in hits with three followed by Mason Robbins and Burdeaux with two apiece.

Luke Lowery, the seventh pitcher for Southern Miss in the game, improved to 1-0 after registering two outs on a double play in the top of the ninth while Simms dropped to 2-2 after allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk with five strikeouts over the final 2 2/3 innings.

Southern Miss ( 12-12, 4-2) will go on six-game road span starting Tuesday against Ole Miss at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m.