Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Southern Miss
Baseball Falls to No. 28 Southern Miss, 12-8
5/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 3, 2008
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Marshall University's Victor Gomez finished the day 2-for-4 at the dish with three RBIs and extended his hitting streak to 12 games but No. 28 Southern Miss combined for nine runs in two innings to lift the Golden Eagles to a 12-8 victory in Saturday night's Conference USA baseball game at Appalachian Power Park.
With the loss, Marshall falls to 24-23-1 overall, 10-9-1 in C-USA action, while Southern Miss improves to 33-15 on the season, and 10-7 in league play.
Heading into today's game, the Thundering Herd needed either a win or a UCF loss to ensure its spot in the 2008 C-USA Baseball Tournament. The Knights fell to Tulane in earlier action securing a trip to New Orleans and the post-season for the first time since the 2006 season.
Trailing 11-6 in the bottom of the eighth, Marshall pulled to within in three when Ben Jurevicius ripped a lead-off single up the middle and then advanced to third on a two-base throwing error off a fielder's choice by Adam Yeager. Brandon Casamassima sent Jurevicius home on a sacrifice fly to right field. Yeager then stole second and third before coming full circle on a sacrifice fly to deep center field by Josh Valle to bring the score to 11-8.
A solo home run in the top of the ninth by Southern Miss' James Ewing pushed the lead to 12-8, before Golden Eagles' closer Tyler Conn entered the game to seal the victory despite allowing a walk and a hit.
Southern Miss reliever Collin Cargill (4-0) entered in relief of starter Todd McInnis with one out in the third, and went 4.2 innings en route to his fourth win of the season. Herd starter Andrew Blain (2-5) went 4.1 innings with a pair of strikeouts, but suffered the loss.
Down 1-0, Marshall responded when Yeager led off the inning with a single to left field, stole second, and then scored on an RBI double by Nate Lape, who extended his current hit-streak to 10 games. Gomez then knocked Lape in with an RBI poke to right center field, before he too came around on single to right center field by Jeff Rowley.
Marshall added a run in the third to make the score 4-1, when Tommy Johnson singled in Valle who singled and reached second on a wild pitch. The Herd loaded the bases but could not plate another run.
Southern Miss exploded for five runs in the fourth on an RBI single, a two-run triple and a two-run home run by Trey Sutton, to give the Golden Eagles a 6-4 lead.
Marshall tied the game at 6-6 in the home half of the frame when Gomez laced a two-run double down the right field line and advanced to third on a fielding error, scoring Yeager, who walked, and Valle who was hit by a pitch.
A home run by Chris Metesich and three RBI-singles highlighted a four-run fifth inning for the Golden Eagles who notched a 10-6 lead that it would not lose. Blain left the game with one out in the fifth for Ian Kadish.
Herd reliever Andrew Hancock entered the game with two outs in the fifth and pitched two scoreless innings of baseball before giving up an RBI single in the eighth. Saturday's game marked the senior's 65th career-appearance, good enough for a share of the third spot on Marshall's career-appearance list.
Johnson finished with three hits for the Herd, while Gomez and Yeager added two apiece. Yeager stole three bags for the fourth time this season and now has 34 on the year. He is now just six shy of tying the Herd's single-season stolen base record.
Marshall and Southern Miss will play the rubber game of the three-game series Sunday, at Appalachian Power Park. Senior Day festivities will take place 15 minutes prior to Sunday's first-pitch. Adam Dobies, Hancock, Matt Helm, Johnson and Rowley will be honored prior to the 12:00 p.m. ET start.
The contest will feature Herd righty Dan Straily (3-2) against Southern Miss right hander Barry Bowden (5-2).
