
Wilks’ Ninth-Inning Single Leads Southern Miss Past Jacksonville State 4-3 Friday Night
2/25/2022 9:57:00 PM | Baseball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Slade Wilks laced a game-winning single to leftfield in the bottom of the ninth to lift Southern Miss to a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Jacksonville State at Pete Taylor Park Friday night.
The win improved the Golden Eagles to 4-1 as they continue their season-opening, seven-game homestand with the Gamecocks (0-5), Saturday, at 2 p.m.
In a tie game in the bottom of the ninth, Dustin Dickerson led off the frame with a walk. After a sacrifice bunt by Danny Lynch, Christopher Sargent recorded an infield single, and Reece Ewing was intentionally walked setting up Wilks' game-winning hit on the first pitch he saw from the fourth JSU pitcher of the night AJ Causey.
Initially, the Golden Eagles fell behind 3-0 as the visitors scored all of their runs in the fifth off of starter Ben Ethridge.
Ethridge surrendered back-to-back singles, before giving up a run-scoring double to TJ Reeves. Brooks Bryan followed with a sacrifice fly, before JSU finished their scoring on a suicide squeeze bunt by Isaac Alexander.
The Southern Miss starting pitcher finished his night with five innings as he allowed all three runs on three hits and no walks with seven strikeouts.
Southern Miss, which left a season-high 13-runners on base including at least one in all but one inning, chipped away at the deficit with a solo run coming in the bottom of the fifth. After three walks by Reid Fagerstrom to open the inning, the Gamecocks went to the bullpen and Danny Lynch got the Golden Eagles on the board with a sacrifice fly.
The Golden Eagles tied the score with a pair of runs in the eighth. Reece Ewing, who has two hits in each of the first five games for Southern Miss, led off with a single. After a double by Wilks to put runners at second and third, Will McGillis tripled to rightfield to knock in both runners and tie the game at 3-3.
Tyler Stuart, who threw the final four innings for Southern Miss, got two flyouts and a groundout in the ninth to finish his outing with the victory. He gave up a hit and a walk with three strikeouts to improve to 1-0.
Dylan Hathcock, the third of four Gamecock pitchers, suffered the loss by allowing a run on a walk and strikeout over 1 1/3 innings to fall to 0-1.
The win improved the Golden Eagles to 4-1 as they continue their season-opening, seven-game homestand with the Gamecocks (0-5), Saturday, at 2 p.m.
In a tie game in the bottom of the ninth, Dustin Dickerson led off the frame with a walk. After a sacrifice bunt by Danny Lynch, Christopher Sargent recorded an infield single, and Reece Ewing was intentionally walked setting up Wilks' game-winning hit on the first pitch he saw from the fourth JSU pitcher of the night AJ Causey.
Initially, the Golden Eagles fell behind 3-0 as the visitors scored all of their runs in the fifth off of starter Ben Ethridge.
Ethridge surrendered back-to-back singles, before giving up a run-scoring double to TJ Reeves. Brooks Bryan followed with a sacrifice fly, before JSU finished their scoring on a suicide squeeze bunt by Isaac Alexander.
The Southern Miss starting pitcher finished his night with five innings as he allowed all three runs on three hits and no walks with seven strikeouts.
Southern Miss, which left a season-high 13-runners on base including at least one in all but one inning, chipped away at the deficit with a solo run coming in the bottom of the fifth. After three walks by Reid Fagerstrom to open the inning, the Gamecocks went to the bullpen and Danny Lynch got the Golden Eagles on the board with a sacrifice fly.
The Golden Eagles tied the score with a pair of runs in the eighth. Reece Ewing, who has two hits in each of the first five games for Southern Miss, led off with a single. After a double by Wilks to put runners at second and third, Will McGillis tripled to rightfield to knock in both runners and tie the game at 3-3.
Tyler Stuart, who threw the final four innings for Southern Miss, got two flyouts and a groundout in the ninth to finish his outing with the victory. He gave up a hit and a walk with three strikeouts to improve to 1-0.
Dylan Hathcock, the third of four Gamecock pitchers, suffered the loss by allowing a run on a walk and strikeout over 1 1/3 innings to fall to 0-1.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Stuart, Tyler (1-0)
L: Dylan Hathcock (0-1)
Batting:
2B: TJ Reeves 1
RBI: TJ Reeves 1 ; Brooks Bryan 1 ; Isaac Alexander 1
SH: Isaac Alexander 2
SF: Brooks Bryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brennen Norton 1 ; Tanner Snow 1 ; TJ Reeves 1
SB: TJ Reeves 1
HBP: TJ Reeves 1

Batting:
2B: Ewing, Reece 1 ; Wilks, Slade 1
3B: McGillis, Will 1
RBI: Lynch, Danny 1 ; Wilks, Slade 1 ; McGillis, Will 2
SH: Lynch, Danny 1
SF: Lynch, Danny 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dickerson, Dustin 1 ; Ewing, Reece 1 ; Wilks, Slade 1 ; Johnson, Blake 1
CS: Paetow, Carson 1
HBP: McGillis, Will 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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