The No. 11 Southern Miss Golden Eagles fell to a 19-6 record on the season after a 12-0 loss to the #6 Mississippi State Bulldogs, the game only going 7 innings due to the run rule.
This is the first time that Southern Miss has been run ruled this season but second time in a row the Golden Eagles were run ruled on the road by the Bulldogs (lost 18-3 last season).
The Bulldogs opened up the scoring quickly, picking up back-to-back singles by Aiden Teel and Ace Reese to start the bottom half of the first frame. After a walk loaded the bases, Gehrig Frei would poke a single past the Golden Eagles, scoring both Teel and Reese to take a 2-0 lead.
Following a pitching change by Southern Miss, sophomore Ryder Woodson would hit another single for Mississippi State, scoring Noah Sullivan who walked earlier in the inning. The Bulldogs wouldn’t score anymore after the Woodson RBI, ending the first inning ahead 3-0.
After a quiet half of the second for Southern Miss, the Bulldogs picked up where they left off in their half of the second. Following Aiden Teel’s second hit of the game and a groundout by Reese to move Teel to second, Sullivan would hit a single to bring Teel home and push the score to 4-0.
Mississippi State would continue to pile it on in the bottom of the third. After another pitching change by Southern Mississippi, Frei would collect his second hit of the game on another single and steal second. After a walk put runners on first and second, the Bulldogs would blow the game wide open with a Jacob Parker three-run homer down the right field line.
The Golden Eagles would make their third pitching change of the game, the score now reading 7-0 in favor of Mississippi State. The Bulldogs were not done, however. Miles Milewski knocks his first hit of the game following the pitching change, moving over to second on a groundout by Bryce Chance. Things went from bad to worse for Southern Miss when Teel stepped back into the box, blasting a two-run homer into right field to extend the lead to nine.
The Bulldogs would add on more insurance in their half of the fourth, Woodson netting his third hit of the game and plating another RBI on a single that scored Reed Stallman from third to give Mississippi State a 10-run lead in the 4th—with Southern Miss still scoreless.
Mississippi State would put the finishing touches on their dominant performance by scoring two more runs in their half of the fifth. Both runs coming via a single by Stallman, scoring both Teel and Chance.
The dust would finally settle after the final out was recorded in the top of the seventh. The final score read 12-0 in favor of the Bulldogs.
Aiden Teel went 4-for-4 and collected 2 RBIs, a truly dominant performance that was a key in the Bulldogs revenge win over their in-state rival.
The Golden Eagles will try to wash their hands of this beating as they head back to Hattiesburg, MS for a conference clash with the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Southern Miss is currently tied for fourth at 3-3 in the Sun Belt.
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