Tanner Hall strikes out 11 in USM’s 8-2 win over LaTech

Southern Miss Sports Information

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - Tanner Hall fanned 11 over eight innings and Southern Miss hit three home runs to collect a Conference USA series-opening 8-2 victory over Louisiana Tech Friday night at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.

The Golden Eagles (18-7 overall, 6-1 C-USA) took over sole possession of first place in league after winning their fifth-straight contest. The Bulldogs fell to 18-8, 5-2.

“We swung it well last weekend at Western Kentucky and it carried over into today,” said Southern Miss coach Scott Berry. “We had some great at-bats. The thing that impressed me is how we used the whole field. We hit well with strikes. When you hit three home runs and you get the pitching like we did with Tanner (Hall), it’s hard to win today if you are the other team.”

The Golden Eagles banged out 13 hits – their fifth-straight double-digit game – and jumped out to a 2-0 lead after an inning.

Dustin Dickerson got the hit parade going with a one-out double in the opening frame off LA Tech starter Jonathan Fincher. That pushed Dickerson’s hitting streak to eight games as he now has a team-high 38 hit for the squad.

Reece Ewing then followed with a two-run line drive home run to right for his sixth homer of the campaign.

The Golden Eagles added another run in the second on a leadoff homer from Will McGillis, his sixth, and then collected two more runs in the fourth on a two-run scoring Gabe Montenegro single. Southern Miss put the game out of reach with three more runs. After a McGillis single, Carson Paetow blasted his fifth homer to center and Dickerson added a sacrifice fly to complete the scoring.

McGillis registered his three of the team’s hit total, while Gabe Montenegro, Dickerson, Ewing and Slade Wilks added two apiece.

Hall limited the Bulldogs to six hits and gave up two runs, both unearned with no walks to capture the victory and improve to 4-0.

It was the third double-digit strikeout performance for Hall this season as he retired eight LA Tech hitters in a row at one point. Landon Harper came in to throw a scoreless ninth.

Fincher (5-1) lost for the first time this season as he gave up five runs on eight hits with a walk and a strikeout.

Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 2 p.m.

Copyright 2022 WDAM. All rights reserved.

Want more WDAM 7 news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.