USM avenges opening-round loss with 9-4 win over Samford Sunday

Golden Eagles will have to turn around, take on unbeaten Penn Sunday night
The Golden Eagles line up for the National Anthem at Plainsman Park in the Auburn Regional(Southern Miss Baseball)
Published: Jun. 4, 2023 at 8:05 PM CDT

AUBURN, Ala. (WDAM) - The University of Southern Mississippi baseball team avenged an opening-round loss in the Auburn Regional Sunday afternoon, but the Golden Eagles won’t have much time to celebrate.

Second-seeded USM (43-18) eliminated Samford University, 9-4, at Plainsman Park, scoring the last six runs of the game to payback the t6hird-seeded Bulldogs for a 4-2 loss in Friday’s opening game of the regional.

Now, the Golden Eagles will face the bracket’s unbeaten team, fourth-seeded University of Pennsylvania, at 8:42 p.m.

The game originally was scheduled for an 8 p.m. first-pitch, but a weather delay of 2 hours, 18 minutes, threw the USM-Samford timetable off track.

The elimination game did not end until well after 7 p.m.

Nick Monistere’s two-run double and Matthew Etzel’s two-run single in a four-run sixth inning erased a 4-3 Samford lead and gave USM the lead for good.

Monistere, Etzel and Slade Wilks each drove in two runs, while Danny Lynch cracked his 13th homer of the season, a solo shot in the second inning.

USM scored its final two runs on sacrifice flies by Rodrigo Montenegro and Wilks.

Kros Sively (4-1) picked up the win in relief, allowing one run on six hits over four innings. He walked one, struck ut five.

USM’s Chandler Dawson threw the final 1 1/3 innings to earn his first save.

Samford reliever Jake Holifield (2-3) took the loss after allowing four runs on two hits in 2/3 of an inning. He also hit two batters.

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