An explosive bottom of the fifth inning propelled No. 19 Southern Miss to a 6-2 win over No. 18 Ole Miss in a neutral-site revenge matchup.
The Golden Eagles (15-6, 2-1 Sun Belt) got to work early in Trustmark Park on Tuesday night, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first. Southern Miss shortstop Ozzie Pratt doubled down the right field line, scoring Jake Cook to strike first blood. Second baseman Nick Monistere singled through the left side to sent Pratt home, giving the black and gold an early 2-0 advantage.
After two scoreless frames, the Rebels (15-5, 1-2 SEC) knotted things up as right fielder Mitchell Sanford knocked a triple down the right field line, scoring Brayden Randle and Campbell Smithwick in the top of the third.
A three-run homer from Southern Miss left fielder Davis Gillespie in the bottom of the fifth tacked on three additional runs to give the Golden Eagles a nice buffer midway through the contest. Right fielder Carson Paetow added to the lead with a double that sent Matthew Russo from first base to home plate, putting Christian Ostrander’s club up 6-2.
From there, both pitching staffs refused to surrender another run, though Ole Miss threatened a comeback twice in the waning innings of the midweek C Spire College Showdown.
In the top of the eighth inning, Rebel slugger Judd Utermark stepped up to the plate with bases loaded and two outs, prompting Ostrander to pull left-handed hurler Brooks Willoughby from the mound. Golden Eagle right-hander Colby Allen trotted to the hill and punched out Utermark in three pitches.
One inning later, Ole Miss second baseman Luke Hill found himself in a similar position as his teammate in the Rebels’ previous at-bat. With ducks on the pond and one out, Hill had an opportunity to aid in his team’s efforts to keep the game alive. But the junior grounded the ball directly to third base and a double play was turned to cement a Southern Miss victory.
Golden Eagle left-hander Chandler Best was credited with the win, but Matt Adams did the brunt of the work. Adams led Southern Miss through 4.2 innings where he surrendered six hits and two earned runs, while also recording three strikeouts in the process. Pratt had the only multi-hit game for the black and gold. The shortstop led the way with two hits while Gillespie’s home run was the most meaningful as it scored three runs.
Pearl native Gunnar Dennis was tabbed with the loss after giving up four runs in the bottom of the fifth in what was a mostly productive night for the Ole Miss bullpen. Despite keeping Southern Miss off the board for six innings, it only took two frames for the Golden Eagles to come out on top.
With the win, the Golden Eagles tied this year’s series record 1-1. The last time the two clubs faced off, Mike Bianco’s Rebels earned a 15-8 victory in Oxford. Mitchell Sanford had a good night at the plate with two hits, both of which landed him on third base, and two RBI.
Both teams will continue conference play this weekend. Southern Miss will head south to play Louisiana-Monroe. Friday’s series opener will begin at 6 p.m. Ole Miss will head a couple of states north to battle Missouri for a three-game affair beginning Friday at 6 p.m.
