NEW ORLEANS ? Southern Mississippi scored four runs in the eighth inning, including James Ewing's go-ahead, two-run double, as the Golden Eagles rallied for a 5-2 win on Tuesday at Maestri Field.
Ewing went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored, as USM (9-4) snapped a three-game losing skid.
The Golden Eagles got the win despite tallying just six hits, but three came in the decisive eighth.
Down 2-1, USM put together three straight hits ? including a game-tying, RBI single from Brian Dozier (1-for-4). Ewing followed with a two-run double to right-center field, and Joey Archer made it 5-2 with an RBI single to left.
UNO reliever Tyler Sanders (0-2) got the loss after giving up three hits and three runs.
“This loss is on me because I put Tyler in a tough situation,” said UNO head coach Tom Walter. “He threw 50 pitches on Sunday, and I took the gamble on him being able to get the first guy. It backfired on us, but we got some really good pitching today against an outstanding offensive club.”
Until the eighth, though, the UNO pitchers were cruising. Cory Myers, who had struggled in his first two outings, rebounded with five solid innings. He gave up one run and allowed just one hit after the first inning.
Reliever David Burch also followed with two scoreless innings.
Offensively, though, UNO (5-8) could muster only seven hits and had 14 strikeouts.
Justin Edwards went 2-for-4, and Nick Schwaner hit his second home run of the year with a solo blast in the third inning.
The Privateers tallied just three hits after the third.
“Right now, every guy in the lineup is trying to get out of a slump, and they are trying to do it in one at-bat,” Walter said. “We just have to be a little more patient, keep working hard and the hits will come. There is no question in my mind we will be a very good hitting team.”
Left-hander Cody Schlagel (3-1) got the win for USM in relief of starter Todd McInnis. Schlagel went 2 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out five.
Collin Cargill threw two shutout innings to claim his first save of the year.
UNO will jump back into Sun Belt Conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Louisiana-Monroe. The teams will begin the series with a 7 p.m. contest on Friday.
