University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Blanks Saint Louis, 11-0
3/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Baseball Blanks Saint Louis, 11-0
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ? Southern Miss used a nice blend of offense and defense en route to an 11-0 win over Saint Louis in Conference USA action, Saturday, at Pete Taylor Park.
The Golden Eagles (14-4, 2-0) plated 11 runs on 15 hits in the game as they won their fifth game in a row. Saint Louis (4-6, 0-2) managed just five hits in the game and committed one error.
Carlos Velasquez and Griff Israel both had three hits for Southern Miss, with Velasquez leading with three RBIs. He and Jeff Cook both had home runs in the game, and Israel had two doubles and two RBIs.
Junior pitcher Bob McCrory (4-0) picked up the win. He allowed just four hits in 6.1 innings of work, walking five and fanning six. Ray Antonelli threw 2.1 scoreless innings and had three strikeouts, and Austin Tubb pitched the final frame and gave up just one hit.
?We are continuing to swing the bat and play good defense,? Southern Miss coach Corky Palmer said. ?We are just playing well right now.?
The Golden Eagles?who have scored 51 runs in their last four games?kept up the offensive pressure with four runs in the second inning. Brad Willcutt reached on an error to lead off the inning and advanced to second on Clint King?s single to center field. Israel plated Willcutt with an RBI-single to right. After two outs, Matt Shepherd singled up the middle and advanced to second on the throw, scoring King. Velasquez then cleared the bases with a single to center field to put Southern Miss ahead 4-0.
That score would remain until the fifth inning, when two more Golden Eagle runs came across. Cook led off with a single and Willcutt followed with another single. King hit into a ground out to score Cook, and Willcutt crossed after Israel hit his first double of the game.
The seventh inning produced three runs for Southern Miss to make the score 9-0. With Willcutt and Israel on base, Adam Smith sent a shot to the fence for a two-run double. He later scored when Beau Griffin singled to right field.
It was in the eighth when Velasquez and Cook both sent solo home runs over the wall, putting the game out of the Billikens? reach.
Cook, Willcutt and Griffin all had two hits to follow Velasquez and Israel. Smith added two RBIs.
For the Billikens, Kyle Wort was the lone batter with two hits. Starter Ben Hutton (0-2) suffered the loss after allowing six runs?two earned?on nine hits in the first six innings. He finished with five strikeouts and walked two batters. Relievers Joe Buehler and Dave Guntorius both threw one inning and each gave up three hits.
The final contest of the three-game series is set for Sunday, with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
