Southern Miss
Arkansas State
Baseball Takes Game One vs. Arkansas State, 6-3
4/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 11, 2008
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss took the opening game of the three-game series with Arkansas State, 6-3 behind a strong pitching performance by freshman Todd McInnis.
"It is always good to start a series with a win in the Friday night game and we scored enough runs and pitched well enough to accomplish that tonight," head coach Corky Palmer said.
McInnis worked seven innings without allowing a run, scattering four hits and striking out a career high 10 hitters without allowing a walk.
Tyler Conn worked the ninth inning, allowing only one hit in route to his NCAA leading 11th save of the season.
The Golden Eagle offense pounded out 10 hits with Brian Dozier leading the way with a three-for-four night including a solo home run and three RBI. Trey Cuevas added in two hits and two RBI with a run scored.
Dozier put Southern Miss on the board in the bottom of the first inning, with his first home run of the season, over the left-center field wall, just under the score board for a 1-0 lead.
The Golden Eagles struck again in the bottom of the third inning with a two-out rally started by Corey Stevens and Keith Winstead drawing walks. Trey Cuaves cleared the bases and picked up two RBI on a double of the wall in right-center field. Drew Carson followed with a double to left field scoring Cuevas and giving Southern Miss a 5-0 lead.
Brian Dozier added RBI singles in the fourth and sixth innings, scoring Chris Matesich both times, to push the Southern Miss lead to 6-0. Matesich reached base on a single in the fourth and was hit by a pitch in the sixth. The Golden Eagles had a scary moment in the top of the fifth inning as right fielder Corey Stevens crashed into the fence down the right field line chasing after a foul ball. Stevens was down on the field for several minutes before being carried off and taken to the hospital for precautionary X-Rays.
As Stevens was laying on the field the heavy rain that had been in the Hattiesburg area forced the game into a 40 minute delay.
Arkansas State finally cracked the scoreboard in the eighth inning on a three-run homerun by Derrick Coleman off reliever Wade Weathers.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow with RHP Brian Leach (0-1, 5.68) earning his third start of the year. He will face off against RHP Jacob Maggard (3-3, 5.71 ERA). First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.
-southernmiss.com
