The Southern Miss baseball team saw a four-game winning streak snapped by Nicholls during a midweek contest at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi on Tuesday night.
The No. 13 Golden Eagles (18-7, 5-1 Sun Belt) got a big night out of first baseman Matthew Russo, including a two-run home run in the fourth inning to tie the game. Russo followed it up with a solo shot in the sixth inning, but the Colonels (11-15, 5-7 Southland) responded with consecutive one-run frames before exploding for a four-run seventh inning to win 8-5.
Leading 4-3 going into the top of the seventh, a handful of Southern Miss fielding errors helped Nicholls extend its lead. After getting a lead-off single, Jaden Collura advanced on an error by third baseman Seth Smith. A bunt single by Narvin Booker then pushed Collura across the plate. A couple of runners on base later, a sacrifice bunt turned into a throwing error by pitcher Michael Fowler and another run for the Colonels. An RBI groundout and single followed, adding two more runs and making for an 8-3 lead for Nicholls.
Southern Miss managed two more runs, one in the bottom of the seventh and another in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn’t enough for a comeback. One of the late-effort runs came when Ozzie Pratt knocked in Joey Urban on a fielder’s choice, while the other was a Dre Barrett solo home run in the bottom of the ninth.
Picking up the loss for the Golden Eagles was Matt Adams (2-2), who surrendered three runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Getting the win for Nicholls was Jordan Harper (3-2), who allowed one run in relief.
Southern Miss will now return to Hattiesburg and welcome South Alabama for a weekend series as conference play picks back up. The three-game set begins Friday at Pete Taylor Park at 6 p.m.
Looking across the state
Both Ole Miss (19-5, 4-2) and Mississippi State (16-9, 1-5 SEC) also played nonconference games on Tuesday. The No. 15 Rebels defeated Memphis 7-5 in Oxford to extend their winning streak to four games. The Bulldogs got back in the win column with a 6-1 win against Samford in Starkville. Both teams return to SEC play this weekend.
