Box Score UNO-USM Box Score
HATTIESBURG, Miss. –New Orleans allowed a late lead to slip away on Wednesday night as Southern Miss completed a two-game mid-week sweep with an 8-5 victory at Pete Taylor Park.
UNO (5-28) scored three runs in the top of the seventh to erase a 4-2 deficit and gain a 5-4 advantage.
In their next trip to bat in the bottom of the seventh, USM (15-17) took the lead right back by plating four runs on two hits while making the most of the three walks issued by the Privateer bullpen.
Andrew Shirley (0-2) took the loss for UNO after allowing a pair of runs on two hits while walking one in a single inning. Shirley was unable to retire the first two batters he faced in the seventh before being lifted for
Garrett Manning.
Over the final two innings, the Golden Eagles would hold off the Privateer threat. Relief pitcher Cody Livingston struck out the first UNO batter he faced in the eighth with two outs and the bases loaded. In the ninth, James McMahon picked up his first save after coming into the game with two on and no outs.
The Privateers initially led in the contest 2-0 following a
Jonathan Coco home run that scored
Zach Liberto. The home run was the second of the season for Coco and represented the last run UNO would score until the seventh inning.
In the meantime, Blake Brown scored the opening Golden Eagle run in the second before tallying an RBI in the third to knot the score at 2-all. A two-run single by Austin Roussel in the fourth inning put USM in the driver's seat 4-2.
Golden Eagles relief pitcher Jake Winston (1-1) had held UNO scoreless in his first three innings of work before being touched up in the seventh.
Tim Broussard's single with one out was the first of four straight for the Privateers in the inning. Coupled with a throwing error, the base hits allowed UNO to score three runs with a
Dan Perkins' single capping the streak by plating Liberto and
Trevor McCarthy.
Winston still took the win for USM, allowing three runs – two earned – on five hits while striking out five over four innings. Brown was 3-for-5 with a pair of runs to lead the Golden Eagles, who also received a 2-for-3 effort from Mason Robbins.
The Privateers were led by Liberto, who went 3-for-4 with two runs. Liberto extended his hitting streak to seven games, tying the team-high on the season. The infielder's three hits tied a career-high set in games against Christian Brothers (Apr. 1, 2012) and Tougaloo (Apr. 27, 2012) last season.
UNO will return home for a four-game series against Georgia State, beginning on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The series will continue with a Saturday doubleheader slated for 1 p.m. with the weekend set concluding on Sunday at 12 p.m.
