Box Score PDF Box Score
LAKE CHARLES, La. – A six-run ninth inning by Southern Mississippi vaulted the Golden Eagles to an 11-8 decision over Chicago State on Saturday (Feb. 15) evening in a neutral site game played on the campus of McNeese State University.
The Cougars entered the ninth leading 8-5 after scoring an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The first Golden Eagle was retired to start the ninth. Then three singles and a hit by pitch followed to make the score 8-6. Junior
Aveeno Nasiloski (Hammond, Ind./Gavit) relieved
Dane Mehring (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) with the bases loaded. Nasiloski's third pitch was knocked up the middle by Mason Robbins to tie the game at eight. A sacrifice fly by Matt Durst followed to score Austin Roussel to put the Golden Eagles up 9-8. Southern Miss would add two more on to make the final 11-8.
The Cougars were the first on the scoreboard with a pair in the bottom of the third. Southern Miss answered back with two in their half of the fourth. Chicago State's big inning came in the bottom of the fourth. The Cougars scored four runs on just two hits but benefited from an error, two walks and a hit by pitch. The big hit came on a two-out two RBI single by junior
Chase Matheson (McHenry, Ill./McHenry).
Southern Miss answered with two more runs in the top of the fifth to make the score 6-4. Chicago State pushed it to 7-4 in the bottom of the fifth when junior
Jordan Stroschein (Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar) came around on a USM error. Both teams added a run before the ultimately decisive top of the ninth.
Juniors
Jared Patterson (Ventura, Calif./Buena) and Matheson each recorded two hits. Patterson knocked in three runs, had two RBI and scored a run. Matheson earned two RBI. Sophomore
Julian Russell (Chicago, Ill./Gordon Tech) scored three times thanks to a pair of hit by pitches and a walk.
Junior
Ean McNeal (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) started and went seven innings. He allowed five runs (four earned), on seven hits with five strikeouts and a walk. Mehring came in relief and earned the loss. His record is 0-1. James McMahon threw the final two-thirds of the bottom of the eighth to pick up the win. He is 1-0. Bradley Roney picked up his first save of the season.
"Obviously there is disappointment when you have a chance to beat a top 50 program but we still had a lot of good things tonight," Chicago State head coach
Steve Joslyn said. "Our approach at the plate was night and day better from yesterday. Ean threw the ball solid and will have a lot of success this year. We threw a guy out at the plate among some solid defensive plays."
Southern Mississippi moves to 1-1 on the young season while the Cougars are 0-2. Chicago State plays Missouri on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. CT.
