University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
Houston
Baseball Falls in 14 Innings to Houston
5/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 27, 2011
Final Stats | Quotes | Highlights 
| Head Coach Berry
Houston Head Coach Todd Whitting | Houston Second Baseman Ryan Still
Following several eye-twitching moments, however, it was the Golden Eagles who blinked first as Cougar second baseman dropped down an RBI-bunt single in the bottom of the 14th to lift Houston to a 7-6 victory at Trustmark Park. The game was the second extra-inning contest of the evening and establish a league championship record for frames played - breaking the former mark of 11 originally set by South Florida and Louisville in 2001 and tied by Tulane/East Carolina earlier in the day.
With the win, the Cougars improve to 27-30 and punched their ticket to the C-USA Championship title game on Saturday. Before then, Houston will close out pool play on Friday with a 4 p.m. showdown with Tulane. Southern Miss, meanwhile, falls to 39-16 and will conclude its run in the C-USA Championship tomorrow against East Carolina. First pitch for that ballgame is slated for 7:30 p.m.
With the score knotted at 6-all after 13 innings, Houston catcher John Cannon got things going for the Cougars in what proved to be the final stanza by reaching on a two-base leadoff error. One out later, centerfielder Ryan Appling singled to right to move Cannon 90 feet closer to home, before Still squared up a first-pitch offering from Southern Miss reliever Collin Cargill.
Still's bunt rolled swiftly up the first-base line, and with Cannon charging hard from third, Cargill was unable to pick up the orb on a bare-handed attempt and the Houston celebration commenced.
Codey Morehouse led a 14-hit Houston effort with a 3-for-6 performance at the plate, which included a double and an RBI. Still, Appling, designated hitter Matt Creel and shortstop Chase Jensen all joined Morehouse in the multiple-hit club with two hits apiece.
Morehouse (3-5), who moved to the mound with two outs in the top of the eighth, earned the victory in relief after scattering two hits and a pair of walks while striking out five in 6.1 scoreless innings of work. Cargill was tagged with the loss after allowing just one unearned run on five hits and four walks while fanning four in 5.2 frames out of the bullpen.
Houston drew first blood in the third inning when Morehouse hit a leadoff single, advanced the bases on a sacrifice bunt and a passed ball, and came around to score on a throwing error by Southern Miss starter Boomer Scarborough to stake the Cougars to a 1-0 lead.
Following a scoreless fourth, Houston padded the lead in the fifth courtesy of a two-run single by first baseman M.P. Cokinos to make it 3-0, but the Golden Eagles tied things up in a hurry in the top of the sixth. Centerfielder Justin Diliberto walked and left fielder Kameron Brunty followed with a double, and Diliberto scored Southern Miss' first run on a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of shortstop Ashley Graeter. Following a hit batsman, a single by right fielder Marc Bourgeois and a Cougar error - which plated Brunty from third - designated hitter B.A. Vollmuth was able to touch the paystation on an RBI-groundout by second baseman Isaac Rodriguez to make it 3-all.
The Cougars, however, came right back in the home half of the inning as Jensen got things going with a leadoff double and Morehouse came through with a clutch RBI-double down the left field line. Appling followed with a run-scoring single to left to make it 5-3, and Southern Miss reliever Paxton King came out of the bullpen to put out the fire.
Undaunted, the Golden Eagles hung a three-spot in the top of the seventh with the help of a Houston error and a two-run Bourgeois single to give Southern Miss a 6-5 advantage. After stranding a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the inning, the Cougars tied things up in the eighth when Appling drew a one-out walk, stole second, and scored on an RBI-triple high off the wall in right by right fielder Caleb Ramsey.
Both teams sent the minimum to the plate in the ninth inning and the two clubs saw potential game-winning run get cut down at the plate as Southern Miss' Brunty was tagged out at the dish trying to stretch a leadoff triple in the 11th into an inside-the-park home run and Houston's Ansley was slapped down attempting to hit paydirt following a Still single in the 12th.
The Cougs had another chance to end it in the 13th as Houston loaded the bases with one out only to have Ansley hit into an inning-ending double play.
Brunty led all players with four hits in seven at-bats, including a double to go with his triple off the wall in right back in the 11th. Bourgeouis added three hits for the Golden Eagles while Fowler had a pair.
