HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – Seth Smith’s double in the sixth inning broke a tie, and four University of Southern Mississippi pitchers combined for a season-high 17 strikeouts Sunday as the Golden Eagles rallied for a 5-4 victory over visiting Missouri State University at Pete Taylor Park.
Coupled with Friday’s 4-3 win, Sunday’s decision gave the Golden Eagles (6-2) the best-of-three series with the Bears (4-3). Missouri won 3-1 Saturday.
The Bears led 4-2 Sunday after scoring three, unearned runs off USM starter Will Armistead in the fourth inning on a run-scoring single by Nick Rodriguez and a two-run single by Jake McCutcheon.
USM tied the game on Davis Gillespie’s two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Gillespie than led off the sixth inning with a single followed by a walk to Braden Luke. Missouri State got an out on a failed bunt attempt, but Smith put a 1-1 pitch from reliver Kaleb Thomas (1-1) into the right-center field gap, to score Gillespie with the go-ahead run.
Relievers McCarty English and J.B. Middleton kept the Bears off the scoreboard over the final three innings, wiggling out a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning.
English retired the first four batters he faced after taking over in the sixth inning, but sandwiched a pair of singles around a second out in the seventh inning.
Middleton relieved English and promptly gave up a singe to load the bases, He then struck out Cody Kelly to end the eighth.
Middleton picked up two more strikeouts in the ninth inning, picking up his first save of the season.
Armistead allowed four runs in four innings, but only a run was earned, a first-inning solo home run by Zack Stewart. Armistead allowed just three hits, walked one and struck out seven.
Chase Adams (2-0) earned his second win of the week with two innings of scoreless baseball. Adams did not allow a hit, walked one and struck out five.
Thomas took the loss, allowing a run on three hits in 1 2/3 innings. Thomas struck out three, walked one and hit a batter.
Gillespie went 3-for-4 Sunday, with two RBIs and three runs scored. Billy Butler went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.
Gabe Broadus hit an RBI-double, as did Smith, while Luke knocked in USM’s first run with a sacrifice fly.
Stewart and McCutcheon had two hits apiece for Missouri State. Stewart scored twice and drove in a run, while McCutcheon carded two RBIs. Rodriguez scored a run and drove in a run.
USM will head to the Mississippi Gulf Coast Tuesday and face Nicholls State University at 6 p.m. at Shuckers Park in Biloxi.
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