March 31, 2008

HATTIESBURG, Miss - After concluding their best week of the season and one of the best week's in the nation the Golden Eagle baseball team has jumped back into the national rankings this week with a No. 20 spot in the Collegiate Baseball poll.

Southern Miss started the week taking a dramatic win vs. No. 15 Ole Miss at Trustmark Park as they rallied for two runs in the ninth inning to force the game to extra frames. Junior Corey Stevens blasted his first career walk-off homerun in the bottom of the tenth inning to push the Golden Eagles over the Rebels 3-2.

Southern Miss then returned to Conference USA play accomplishing a feat that no other C-USA team had ever done, win a series at perennial power Rice. The series win snapped Rice's winning streak of 40 consecutive home series and 26 consecutive conference series, home or road, dating back to March of 2005.

The Golden Eagles took Friday nights game on the pitching performance on Barry Bowden, who tossed 8.2 innings allowing only four hits and striking out ten without allowing a run. Trey Sutton provided the games only run with a solo home run in the top of the first inning.

Sunday Southern Miss took the rubber game of the series scoring the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning in a game which featured five lead changes. Tyler Conn closed the game for his NCAA leading eighth save, striking out the final two owl hitters with the bases loaded to end the game.

The Golden Eagles return to action this week against Troy Tuesday and Wednesday and host East Carolina in CUSA play this weekend.

-southernmiss.com-