University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Downs Louisiana-Monroe, 10-3
3/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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Baseball Downs Louisiana-Monroe, 10-3
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ? Southern Miss hit four home runs and used a five-run third inning to defeat Louisiana-Monroe, 10-3, tonight, before 2,798 at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field in game one of a two-game series against the Indians.
With the win, Southern Miss improves to 7-1 on the season, while Louisiana-Monroe drops to 6-4. The four Golden Eagle home runs were a season high, as the team scored at least 10 runs for the fifth time this year.
"We hit the ball hard last weekend at Louisiana Tech," Southern Miss Head Baseball Coach Corky Palmer said. "The thing I?m most proud of is that we?re hitting the ball to opposite fields. We?re taking good pitches and driving them the other way. It was impressive that we hit three or four (home runs) out the other way tonight. I thought Louisiana-Monroe has one of its better ball clubs. This was a good test for us."
Sophomore Daniel Best (1-1) got the start for the Golden Eagles, pitching 6.2 innings, limiting the Indians to five hits, two runs with one earned, while striking out three and walking four. Ray Antonelli pitched 1.1 innings, giving up one hit and one run, while walking one. Austin Tubb pitched the ninth, striking out two.
Louisiana-Monroe took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI sacrifice fly by Ben Jones that scored Glenn Jones, who reached base with a leadoff double. But the Golden Eagles responded in the second, getting their first hit on a two-run home run by freshman Jody Blount, who recorded his team-high third home run of the season.
The Indians tied the game at two in the third on an RBI single from Kade Eady, but the Golden Eagles got to Louisiana-Monroe starter Andrew Burdine in their half of the third.
Southern Miss got three-straight hits to start the inning, singles by both Ryan Frith and Matt Shepherd, followed by an RBI double by Marc Maddox that scored Frith and advanced Shepherd to third. Shepherd scored on a RBI fly out by Jarrett Hoffpauir, and Maddox scored on a RBI double by Brad Willcutt, making the score, 5-2. Carlos Velasquez brought Willcutt home with his second home run of the season, extending the Southern Miss lead to 7-2.
Burdine (0-2) took the loss for the Indians, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing 10 hits, eight runs, six earned, while striking out six and not walking any.
Jason Lowery added a solo home run to right center field in the sixth, but the Indians cut the Eagle lead to 8-3 on an RBI single from Jay Aulds in the eighth.
However, Frith smashed a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth, as the Eagles improved to 4-1 at Pete Taylor Park this season.
Velasquez, Blount and Frith each had two RBIs, with Frith leading the team with three hits. Bradley Hoffpauir had two hits in a losing effort for the Indians.
Southern Miss returns to the field on Wednesday against Louisiana--Monroe at 3 p.m.
