Southern Miss
1-0
Lafayette
0-1
Eight-Run Eighth Clinches 11-Straight Opening-Day Victory for Golden Eagles over Lafayette 9-2
2/14/2025 7:35:00 PM | Baseball
The Golden Eagles won their 11th-straight season opener as the nine runs were the most in a Southern Miss opening game victory since scoring 11 against Mississippi State, Feb. 16, 2018, in an 11-0 decision.
Southern Miss ended the contest with 10 hits, including two each from newcomers Ben Higdon and Drey Barrett, along with two from Carson Paetow.
With the home squad leading in a tight 1-0 contest heading into the bottom of the eighth, Leopards reliever Ben Waterman hit both Matthew Russo and Davis Gillespie to open the frame. Paetow then collected a run-scoring single through the right side for the first run of the inning.
Barrett then followed with an RBI single of his own before Jake Cook doubled in a run with a drive to right field. Lafayette went to the pen again and Chase Rodgers hit a batter to load the bases. Higdon followed with a walk to drive in another run before Pratt put the game of reach by driving in three runs to right with his double. Southern Miss added a final tally in the frame on a Leopards error.
The game started out as a pitcher's duel with both Lafayette's Joe Skapinetz and Southern Miss' JB Middleton going toe-to-toe against each other. Skapinetz kept the home squad off the board for five innings as he limited Southern Miss to two hits on two walks with four strikeouts. Middleton, who garnered the victory, allowed no runs on three hits with a walk and four strikeouts.
Southern Miss initially got on the board in the sixth as leadoff hitter Nick Monistere greeted Waterman, who was tagged with the loss, with a double to center. Russo then singled to right-center field to drive in the game's first run.
Jack Mislan homered in the ninth off Southern Miss reliever Colby Allen for a two-run shot. Allen hurled the final three innings and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk with three strikeouts to pick up the save.
The two teams return to action, Saturday, with a 12-noon doubleheader.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Middleton, JB (1-0)
L: Ben Waterman (0-1)
S: Allen, Colby (1)
Batting:
2B: Michael Zarrillo 1
HR: Jack Mislan 1
RBI: Jack Mislan 2
SH: Jack Mislan 1 ; L. Ebbs 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Michael Zarrillo 1 ; Jack Mislan 1
HBP: Ben Petrone 1 ; Easton Brenner 2
PO: Ryan Ulisse 1
Batting:
2B: Higdon, Ben 1 ; Pratt, Ozzie 1 ; Monistere, Nick 1 ; Paetow, Carson 1 ; Cook, Jake 1
RBI: Higdon, Ben 1 ; Pratt, Ozzie 3 ; Russo, Matthew 1 ; Paetow, Carson 1 ; Barrett, Drey 1 ; Cook, Jake 1
SH: Cook, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Higdon, Ben 1 ; Pratt, Ozzie 1 ; Monistere, Nick 1 ; Russo, Matthew 1 ; Gillespie, Davis 1 ; Paetow, Carson 1 ; Barrett, Drey 1 ; Cook, Jake 1 ; Odom, Lawson 1
SB: Pratt, Ozzie 1
HBP: Russo, Matthew 2 ; Gillespie, Davis 2 ; Odom, Lawson 1
