No. 12 Southern Miss Run Rules JMU, Winning Series with Hot Bats, Stellar Pitching

It took a late-game comeback effort for No. 12 Southern Miss to win its series opener against James Madison on Friday night, but there was no such drama in the second game of the series on Saturday. The Golden Eagles put together one of their best all-around performances of the season with a dominant 11-1 win over the Dukes to secure the Sun Belt series win.

Southern Miss improved to 37-14 (18-8), while JMU fell to 20-29 (10-16). If the Eagles can keep this momentum going into Sunday's series finale and the final series of the regular season next weekend against Georgia Southern, they will pretty much be a lock for hosting a regional at the end of this month.

Eags Dominate at the Plate Behind Urban’s Bounce-Back Performance

USM, Joey Urban — After having a tough time at the plate last weekend, Joey Urban has turned things around in a big way this weekend in Harrisonburg. | @SouthernMissBSB

Senior outfielder Joey Urban is one of the best offensive weapons the Eagles have on their roster, but he had some tough luck at the plate during last weekend's sweep of UL Monroe, collecting just one hit. As predicted in our USM-JMU series preview, though, Urban has bounced back in a big way and has gotten hot again.

During Saturday's win, Urban went 3-of-5 at the plate, including a three-run home run in the top of the fourth inning that broke the game open for the Eagles with a 6-0 lead. He was a triple away from hitting for the cycle. Overall, Urban is 5-of-10 at the plate this weekend and has his season batting average back over .300 after a brief dip below it.

“I think it’s just trusting the work and not overthinking things,” Urban tells Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI of his weekend bounce-back performance.

“Baseball has ups and downs, so after a tough weekend, I just tried to stay confident, keep my approach simple, and focus on competing every at-bat. Thankfully things started falling my way this weekend.”

Clark Dominates on the Mound

USM, Camden Clark — Camden Clark registered nine strikeouts and gave up just two hits and no runs in six innings of work during USM's 11-1 win over JMU on Saturday. | @SouthernMissBSB

Coming off a career-high 15-strikeout performance last weekend at home, sophomore RHP Camden Clark (W, 7-0) carried that momentum with him to Virginia this weekend. In six innings of work, Clark registered nine strikeouts while giving up just two hits and no runs. He had a no-hitter going all the way up until the fifth inning of Saturday's game.

“I believe I’m getting more comfortable after every start,” Clark tells Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI.

“First few weeks weren’t as comfortable being in a new role so soon. I think getting a good routine and good seven-day schedule between each start has made a huge impact.”

As Clark continues to gain more experience in his starting role week after week, the Golden Eagles' confidence for this upcoming postseason should be growing as well. With the young, talented starters the Eagles have on the mound in all three weekend spots, it will be hard for any opposing team to knock them out.

Eags Looking to Sweep While Keeping Eye on Sun Belt No. 1 Seed

With the win today, paired with Coastal Carolina's loss to Old Dominion, Southern Miss is just two games back of the No. 1 seed in the Sun Belt, something that appeared to be too far out of reach about a month ago. There's still a long way to go, but if the Golden Eagles continue to take care of business on their end, they just might catch the Chants, who now have a big rubber match to play on Sunday, as well as a tough road series at Louisiana to end the regular season next weekend.

Southern Miss can only control what it can control, though, so the only thing on the Golden Eagles' minds right now is finding a way to secure a second consecutive sweep on Sunday. The Eagles and Dukes will get underway at Veterans Memorial Park at noon, and the game will be available on ESPN+. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more coverage as this series comes to a close.

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