Box Score (PDF)
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Eastern Illinois pulled to within a run of Southern Miss in the second inning, but the Golden Eagles would pull away from the Panthers with five runs in the third inning and would carry that momentum the rest of the game to take a 18-1 decision in game two on Saturday. The final game of the opening weekend series will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
With two outs in the bottom of the first, Southern Miss worked to load the bases. Back-to-back singles by the Golden Eagles put the score at 2-0. Catcher
Jason Scholl threw out a Golden Eagles runner at second base to end the inning.
The Panthers responded with a two-out rally of their own in the top of second.
Frankie Perrone found his way on with a single to right field.
Cale Hennemann followed that up with a double out to center field to bring in Perrone at cut the lead to 1-2.
Jimmy Govern then got hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second, but were left stranded.
EIU threatened once again in the top of the third as
Nick Maton was hit by a pitch and Scholl singled up the middle. The Golden Eagles starting pitcher Jake Winston worked out of the jam without surrendering a run.
Southern Miss tacked on five runs to begin the bottom of the third inning to lead 7-1 and chased Panthers starter
Michael McCormick (0-1) after 2.1 innings of work.
Jake Johansmeier came on in relief and got two straight outs to end the inning.
Perrone walked and Hennemann singled for his second hit of the game to lead off the fourth inning for EIU, but were unable to push a run across as the next three Panthers went down in order.
Three straight walks and a hit batter sparked a six-run fifth inning for Southern Miss. Tim Lynch provided much of the offense in the big inning with his three-run home run over the right center field wall to make the score 13-1.
Another Southern Miss home run by Claudio Rubiera upped the score to 14-1 after six innings.
Chase Thurston came on in relief following the home run and work a scoreless inning in his first appearance of the season.
Eastern Illinois made one last run in the top of the seventh as Duncan singled up the middle and advanced to second following a Maton walk. The two moved up to second and third on a wild pitch, but would not advance any further at the end of the inning.
Southern Miss added three more runs in the seventh and Dylan Burdeaux hit a solo home run in the eighth for the Golden Eagles.
The Southern Miss bullpen worked 4.2 innings of scoreless relief, as Luke Lowry (1-0) worked the final two outs of the fifth inning to earn the win for the Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles finished with 13 hits, as three Southern Miss players ended the game with two hits each.
EIU finished with eight hits on the day as Perrone and Hennemann both went 2-for-3, as Hennemann drove in the lone EIU run on his RBI double.Â
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