Gillespie, Russo Provide Fireworks as No. 8 Southern Miss Blows Out Old Dominion

Following a disheartening midweek loss to Southeastern Louisiana, No. 8 Southern Miss found its bats again and got off to a fantastic start in the first game of its Sun Belt series with Old Dominion on Thursday night, winning 10-4 at the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex in Norfolk, Va.

With the bounce-back win, the Golden Eagles improved to 22-8 (6-4), while the Monarchs dropped to 13-16 (3-7). On Monday, Southern Miss head coach Christian Ostrander said his guys needed more "hyper focus" at the plate, and that's exactly what happened in this one.

Eags Offense On Point All Night

After scoring just one run in Tuesday's loss, the Golden Eagles took out their frustrations in Norfolk by plating 10 runs on a season-high 16 hits on Thursday. It was the second time in three games that Southern Miss has scored at least 10 runs.

There has been a lot of talk about the Golden Eagles' struggles at the plate over the last few weeks, but this win against the Monarchs was an encouraging sign of what we could see more of in this second half of the season. The most impressive part of the Southern Miss offensive performance was its spread-out nature. The Golden Eagles showed consistency at the plate by scoring in six of the nine innings against ODU.

Another encouraging sign for Southern Miss was senior first baseman Matthew Russo finally breaking through and hitting his fourth home run of the season. "Bull" went 2-4 at the plate with three RBI and no strikeouts. If the Golden Eagles are going to make a deep postseason run, they'll need their senior leader to continue to heat up down the stretch.

One underrated aspect of this game was how aggressive the Golden Eagles were on the bases. They had three stolen bases on the night, which was just the second time this season they've had multiple in a game. The last time that happened was in a win against Baylor at the Round Rock Classic earlier this season.

Big Night for Gillespie

Junior outfielder Davis Gillespie played a big role in getting the Golden Eagles' offense rolling in Norfolk, as he batted 3-4 at the dish with two homers on the night. His first homer was a two-run bomb in the top of the first inning to give USM a 2-0 lead. His second was a solo shot in the top of the fifth inning to extend that lead to 5-0.

“I really just felt comfortable in the box and had the confidence that nothing was going to beat me,” Gillespie tells Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI. “I happened to get some good pitches to hit and put good swings on them.”

With the two home runs, Gillespie now has eight on the year, which ties him with senior outfielder Joey Urban for second-most on the team. For a Southern Miss ballclub looking to string together some consistent offensive performances, Gillespie continues to be a reliable option in the lineup on a nightly basis.

“Our goal tonight was to come out and play our hardest game from the first inning to the last,” Gillespie said. “We gave it our all regardless of what the scoreboard said. On top of that, it is important for us to remember to have fun when we play this game.”

Harris Gets the Win, Clark Does His Thing

USM Grayden Harris — Southern Miss sophomore LHP Grayden Harris had a career-best 13 strikeouts on Saturday in a win against North Alabama. | @SouthernMissBSB

Sophomore LHP Grayden Harris (4-1) had a tough outing against App State last weekend, but he bounced back to grab his fourth win of the year on Thursday. Through six innings, Harris registered six strikeouts while giving up two runs on six hits total.

Before running into some trouble in the fifth inning, where the Monarchs got their first two runs of the game, Harris pitched four consecutive shutout innings. He then came back out in the sixth and pitched a shutout in that one as well. Overall, Harris did exactly what you want from your starting pitcher in a series opener.

Junior RHP Josh Och came in for Harris in the seventh inning and got the first two outs of the frame with ease. However, Och struggled to get that final out and found himself with the bases loaded. Head coach Christian Ostrander made the call to put in his closer, sophomore RHP Camden Clark, who got the final out and stranded all three Monarch base runners.

In 2.1 innings of work, Clark registered four strikeouts while giving up just one hit and one unearned run. Through 15 appearances this season, Clark still maintains his 0.00 ERA, and he was recently named as the No. 5 best reliever in the nation by D1Baseball.

Next Up: Series-Clinching Opportunity

The Golden Eagles will now have a shot to secure the series against the Monarchs on Friday, as the teams will square off again in Norfolk at 2 p.m. on ESPN+. Head coach Christian Ostrander is still looking for some sustained consistency from his offense, so we'll see if the guys can provide that in back-to-back outings.

Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more coverage following Friday's game.