Southern Miss
Louisiana Tech
Eagles Open LA Tech Series with DH Split
3/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RUSTON, La. - Southern Miss exploded for a season-best for runs and hits in the opener, before losing in the nightcap in the bottom of the ninth on a wild pitch in a doubleheader split with Louisiana Tech here Friday night at J.C. Love Field, winning game one, 13-4, and losing game two, 2-1.
The loss in the nightcap snapped a four-game winning streak for the Golden Eagles (13-8-1 overall, 3-2 C-USA).
In the opener, the Golden Eagles collected 18 hits, including a 5-for-5 contest with three RBI for Taylor Braley, while Matt Durst, Chuckie Robinson and Nick Dawson each homered.
Durst hit a three-run shot for his second of the year, while Robinson and Dawson collected their first career round-trippers. Robinson finished the contest with three hits and drove in three runs, while Durst finished with three RBI. Daniel Keating added three hits and three runs for the Golden Eagles.
The Golden Eagles scored in six different innings, plating three runs in the fourth, sixth and eighth innings.
Southern Miss starter Christian Talley improved to 2-3 on the year as he allowed four runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings.
In his start for LA Tech, Tyler Clancy gave up eight runs (seven earned) on 12 hits with a walk and two strikeouts to suffer the loss and fall to 3-2.
In the nightcap, Mason Paxton scored on a Ryan Milton wild pitch after reaching on a one-out double off previous reliever Luke Lower. He started the inning with a one-out double to rightfield, before advancing the next two bases separate wild pitches to earn the split.
The game ended a great pitchers' duel between Golden Eagle Cody Carroll and Bulldorg starter Phil Maton.
After giving up a leadoff infield single and then a run-scoring single up the middle by Braley, Maton limited the Golden Eagles to just two walks and two hit batsmen over the rest of his eight-inning stint.
Carroll surrendered just a leadoff homer to Bryce Stark to start the fourth as he limited the Bulldogs (9-10, 1-4) to two hits and two walks and six strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings.
Adam Atkins came on in the ninth for Maton and threw a scoreless inning to get the victory and improve to 1-1. Lowery, who gave up the double to Paxton, suffered the loss to fall to 2-3.
The series finale is slated to take place at 3 p.m., Saturday.
