April 2, 2008

Box Score

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss won their third consecutive game and the 13th out of the last 15 with a 7-5 over Troy at a wet Pete Taylor Park Wednesday evening.

The game was over four hours in length and included a rain delay of almost an hour a delay to replace an injured umpire for almost 15 minutes.

"We fell behind after they hit the three run home run in the sixth, but I am proud of the way we battled right back to retake the lead," head coach Corky Palmer said. "things are not always easy and they are not always pretty but we are finding a way to win right now".

Drew Carson led Southern Miss (19-8) at the plate with a three-for-four night including the go ahead two-run home run in bottom of the seventh inning.

Troy scored all five of their runs on the long ball, with three home runs on the evening.

JR Ballanger (1-0) picked up his first win if the season for the Golden Eagles throwing two and a third innings without allowing a run and only surrendering two hits. The Golden Eagles used five total pitchers in the game.

Tyler Conn picked up his NCAA leading 10th save by working a prefect ninth inning. On the season Conn has worked 15 innings without allowing an earned run and striking out 22.

Southern Miss jumped on the board in the second inning as Adam Doleac collected his first career hit and RBI on a single down the left field line scoring Drew Carson for a 1-0 lead.

The Golden Eagles added two more runs in the third inning as Bo Davis led off with a double and was sacrificed to third by James Ewing. Brian Dozier followed with a solid single to right field and came in to score on a fielder choice hit by Drew Carson for a 3-0 lead.

The Trojans (17-12) added two runs on two solo home runs in the fourth and fifth innings hit by Daryl Owens and Charley Williams to make the score 5-4.

Southern Miss added a single run in the bottom of the fifth inning as Drew Carson drove in Corey Stevens with a single up the middle after Stevens doubled earlier in the inning,

Troy pushed runners to first and third in the top of the sixth inning, then the rains came delaying the contest for 57 minutes while the field was covered with the tarp. As play resumed catcher Beau Brooks enter the game as a pinch hitter blasted a Jonathan Johnston pitch over the left field wall to give the Trojans a 5-4 advantage.

Drew Carson put the Golden Eagles back on top with towering home run over the left field wall in the bottom of the seventh inning with Corey Stevens on base for his fourth RBI of the game.

James Ewing added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning as he doubled to left-center field scoring Bo Davis from first base who drew a two-out walk, giving Conn more than enough runs to work with in the ninth.

The Golden Eagles will return to C-USA play this weekend and continue the current 10 game homestand as they welcome East Carolina o the Pete. RHP Barry Bowden (5-1, 1.47) will match up against RHP TJ Hose (1-3, 6.83 ERA), first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.

"East Carolina is probably the best hitting team in the league, hopefully we have the usual great crowd at Pete Taylor Park to see some good college baseball this weekend," Palmer added.

-southernmiss.com-