
Early Lead Gets Away from Baseball in 5-3 Sunday Loss
2/27/2022 4:45:00 PM | Baseball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Jacksonville State overcame an early three-run deficit to rally for a series-ending 5-3 victory over Southern Miss at Pete Taylor Park Sunday afternoon.
The Golden Eagles fell to 5-2, ending their season-opening, seven-game homestand. Southern Miss returns to action Wednesday, March 2, when they travel to Trustmark Park in Pearl to face Mississippi State and is the designated home team.
Golden Eagle catcher Rodrigo Montenegro provided the only runs of the game for the home team as he cleared the bases with a double that landed in front of centerfielder TJ Reeves and kicked behind him, allowing Christopher Sargent, Slade Wilks and Carson Paetow to score on the play.
The trio of runs reached base via a single for Sargent, a walk for Wilks and Paetow was hit by a pitch.
Southern Miss tried to rally down the stretch but hit into double plays in the fourth, eighth and ninth innings, while loading the bases in the sixth with no one out and not registering any runs in the frame.
Starter Hurston Waldrep limited the Gamecocks (1-6) to no runs on three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over five innings. Reliever Niko Mazza, who came in for Waldrep, allowed a run-scoring double in the sixth and Golden Eagle relievers gave up back-to-back run-scoring doubles to Isaac Alexander and Cole Frederick – the later was a two-run two-base hit – in the seventh and JSU took the lead for good.
The Gamecocks added an insurance run in the ninth on a RBI single from Reeves.
Chandler Best, the fourth of six Golden Eagle pitchers, suffered the loss as he allowed a run on two hits and a pair of strikeouts over an inning of work, falling to 0-1.
Reliever Jake Peppers notched the victory for the Gamecocks after limiting the Golden Eagle to a hit and three walks over 2 1/3 frames to improve to 1-1 AJ Causey got the final five outs to earn the save.
Golden Eagle leftfielder Reece Ewing extended his team-best hitting streak to seven games with a single in the sixth.
The Golden Eagles fell to 5-2, ending their season-opening, seven-game homestand. Southern Miss returns to action Wednesday, March 2, when they travel to Trustmark Park in Pearl to face Mississippi State and is the designated home team.
Golden Eagle catcher Rodrigo Montenegro provided the only runs of the game for the home team as he cleared the bases with a double that landed in front of centerfielder TJ Reeves and kicked behind him, allowing Christopher Sargent, Slade Wilks and Carson Paetow to score on the play.
The trio of runs reached base via a single for Sargent, a walk for Wilks and Paetow was hit by a pitch.
Southern Miss tried to rally down the stretch but hit into double plays in the fourth, eighth and ninth innings, while loading the bases in the sixth with no one out and not registering any runs in the frame.
Starter Hurston Waldrep limited the Gamecocks (1-6) to no runs on three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over five innings. Reliever Niko Mazza, who came in for Waldrep, allowed a run-scoring double in the sixth and Golden Eagle relievers gave up back-to-back run-scoring doubles to Isaac Alexander and Cole Frederick – the later was a two-run two-base hit – in the seventh and JSU took the lead for good.
The Gamecocks added an insurance run in the ninth on a RBI single from Reeves.
Chandler Best, the fourth of six Golden Eagle pitchers, suffered the loss as he allowed a run on two hits and a pair of strikeouts over an inning of work, falling to 0-1.
Reliever Jake Peppers notched the victory for the Gamecocks after limiting the Golden Eagle to a hit and three walks over 2 1/3 frames to improve to 1-1 AJ Causey got the final five outs to earn the save.
Golden Eagle leftfielder Reece Ewing extended his team-best hitting streak to seven games with a single in the sixth.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jake Peppers (1-1)
L: Best, Chandler (0-1)
S: AJ Causey (1)
Batting:
2B: Cole Frederick 1 ; Alex Carignan 1 ; Derrick Jackson, Jr. 1 ; Isaac Alexander 1
RBI: Cole Frederick 2 ; TJ Reeves 1 ; Alex Carignan 1 ; Isaac Alexander 1
SH: Isaac Alexander 1
Base Running:
RUNS: TJ Reeves 1 ; Kody Putnam 1 ; Derrick Jackson, Jr. 2 ; Isaac Alexander 1
SB: Carson Crowe 2 ; Isaac Alexander 1
HBP: Derrick Jackson, Jr. 1

Batting:
2B: Montenegro, Rodrigo 1
RBI: Montenegro, Rodrigo 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Sargent, Christopher 1 ; Wilks, Slade 1 ; Paetow, Carson 1
HBP: Montenegro, Gabe 1 ; Paetow, Carson 2
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
True Grit: Final Episode
Friday, October 20
Episode 1: War Damn Golden Eagle
Tuesday, August 22
Episode 5: Battle for the Belt
Thursday, August 17
Episode 4: Battle for the Belt
Saturday, August 12