Southern Miss
Rice
Baseball Opens Rice Series with 12-1 Victory
3/30/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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| Box Score 
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Nick Sandlin allowed two hits over a career-high eight innings and the Golden Eagles walked a school-record tying 14 times as No. 14 Southern Miss defeated Rice 12-1 Friday night in the opening game of a Conference USA series at Pete Taylor Park.
In front of 3,790 fans, the Golden Eagles won their ninth consecutive C-USA home contest to improve to 18-6 overall and 5-1 in league play.
Matt Wallner led the Golden Eagles with three hits, including two doubles, while Gabe Montenegro and LeeMarcus Boyd added two hits in the nine-hit Golden Eagle attack.
It was Nick Sandlin, though, that quieted the Owls' bats by giving up just two hits and fanned 13 with no walks and an unearned run over a career-high eight inning to get the victory and improve to 4-0. Sandlin has improved his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 73 and 6 for the season. It was his fourth double-digit strikeout performance this season.
The Golden Eagles lead 4-1, before breaking open the game in the eighth with a season-tying best eight-run inning.
After a single and a ground out, Rice pitching issued six straight walks with Hunter Slater, Daniel Keating, Cole Donaldson and Fred Franklin each drawing bases loaded walks. Boyd later added a two-run double, before the home squad added their final two tallies on a Rice wild pitch and a Montenegro groundout.
For the second game in a row, the Golden Eagles jumped out in front in the opening frame.
Montenegro led off the game with a single. After a walk to Matthew Guidry and Luke Reynolds, Wallner collect an RBI single and Daniel Keating hit a sacrifice fly.
The Golden Eagles added a run on a Owl throwing error in the third that plated Reynolds, who started the frame with his team-leading 10th double.
Reynolds also scored in the fifth on a passed ball.
Rice (11-17, 1-6) scored their only run in the sixth. After a leadoff double by designated hitter Andrew Dunlap, catcher Justin Collins reached on a fielding error by Boyd to account for their lone run.
Rice starter Matt Canterino allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits and five walks with eight strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings to suffer the loss and fall to 2-4.
The two teams continue the series with a 2 p.m., tilt on Saturday. It will be John Cox Bobble Head Day with the first 800 fans entering the park receiving the commemorative item.
