Southern Miss
Murray State
Six-Run Seventh Propels Baseball to Win
2/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss broke open a tie game with a six-run, seventh inning and Connor Barron led the Golden Eagles with four hits in a 10-3 victory over Murray State here Saturday afternoon at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.
The Golden Eagles (2-0) go after its first season-opening sweep, Sunday, since taking three games over Missouri to start the 2013 campaign. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
With the score tied at 3-3 in the seventh, it was Barron who got the Golden Eagles started with a one-out double off the centerfield wall. Nick Dawson then put Southern Miss ahead for good one batter later with a run-scoring single up the middle.
Dylan Burdeaux followed with a ground ball to the right-side and first baseman Reed Thompson was charged with not touching the first base bag before unsuccessfully trying to retire the lead runner at second with a throw. With runners at second and third, Matt Durst then singled in a run to center.
Ryan Ellis, who made his first start and collected a pair of singles and two RBI, knocked in a run with a single through the right-side. Tim Lynch then looped a double over Thompson's head on the first-base line, scoring pinch runner Chase Reeves. Chase Scott then added an RBI single and Austin Roussel ended the inning's scoring with a ground out.
Breck Kline added a sacrifice fly in the eighth to add an insurance run.
Cody Carroll started for the Golden Eagles and allowed three runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings with three walks and four strikeouts. Luke Lowery, who came in for the second-straight day in relief, got the final out of the top of the seven and registered the victory for his first of the season.
MSU reliever John Rafferty (0-1) suffered the loss by allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits and two strikeouts in relief of Brad Boegel, who went 5 1/3 frames.
The visiting Racers scored twice in the first innings on an RBI single from Tyler Lawrence and a sacrifice fly by Nick Moore, before the Eagles got a solo homer from Barron to start the bottom of the first and then a RBI ground out from Burdeaux in the third to tie the score at 3-3.
Kollin Dowdy gave MSU its final lead in the fifth on a single to center, but the Eagles tied the game again in the sixth on a run-scoring single from Ellis.
The Golden Eagles finished the contest with 16 hits as Burdeaux and Durst each added three hits apiece, while Scott collected a pair of singles as well.
Game Notes:
* Connor Barron led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run to right field. It was the first homer to lead off a game for the Golden Eagles since Breck Kline did it against ECU on May 21, 2014, in the C-USA Tournament. * It was the second four-hit game of Barron's career. The other came against ULM (2/26/13).
* Barron's four runs were his career best.
* The top third of the order scored seven of the Golden Eagles' 10 runs.
* Golden Eagle pitching has accounted for 20 strikeouts over the first two games of the series.
