USM snaps 3-game skid with win over Georgia Southern
Southern Miss Sports Information
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - Slade Wilks and Christopher Sargent each had a pair of hits, including a home run from both players, to lead Southern Miss to a 4-3 Sun Belt Conference series-opening victory over Georgia Southern Friday evening in front of 5,237 at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.
The Golden Eagles (13-8 overall, 2-2 Sun Belt) snapped a three-game losing streak as they improved to 5-0 all-time over Georgia Southern.
Sargent gave the Golden Eagles the early lead with a solo shot to center to open the bottom of the second inning. It was Sargent’s third homer of the season and 40th of his career, which ties him for eighth on the school’s career chart along with B.A. Vollmuth.
Southern Miss then added to its lead in the fourth as Wilks powered his team-leading sixth homer, a solo shot off the bottom of the scoreboard in left center, as Sargent scored later in the frame on a Georgia Southern starter Ty Fisher wild pitch. Sargent had reached base with his second hit of the day, a single.
Wilks came up big again for the home team one inning later as he drove in his second run of the night with a single that scored Gabe Lacy.
Tanner Hall threw five and a third shutout innings, giving up four walks and a season-high three walks to go along with a season-best 10 strikeouts.
After allowing up a single to load the bases with one out in the sixth, the rains came and delayed the game for 53 minutes before it got resumed.
When the game restarted, Hall was relieved by Kros Sivley who enticed Blake Evans to hit into an 0-2 double play, which ended the bases-loaded threat. Hall earned the victory and improved to 4-2 on the season.
Sivley threw the final 3 2/3 and gave up three runs on three hits with no walks and five strikeouts to earn his third save.
The redshirt freshman from Sumrall, though, gave up an RBI groundout to Noah Ledford in the eighth and then a two-run homer to reserve catcher Kyler Hultgren, his first to cut the deficit to one run with one out in the ninth.
Sivley then got a strikeout before Jesse Sherrill – who had three hits to lead the Eagles – drove one deep to right, but Reece Ewing caught it at the wall to end the game.
Fisher went all eight innings for Georgia Southern (11-11, 3-1) and gave up four runs on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts to take the loss and fall to 2-2.
The two teams complete the series Saturday with a 1 p.m., doubleheader. The twinbill was scheduled due to expected rain all day Sunday.
Want more WDAM 7 news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
Copyright 2023 WDAM. All rights reserved.