Southern Miss Caps Off Statement Weekend, Sweeping Round Rock Classic

The Golden Eagles continued their Round Rock dominance by knocking off Baylor on Sunday.

Southern Miss swept the Round Rock Classic by finishing off Baylor on Sunday. / Dalton Trigg

ROUND ROCK, Texas – On a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in Texas, Southern Miss capped off a statement weekend by defeating Baylor at Dell Diamond and becoming Round Rock Classic champions in front of a healthy number of fans who traveled to see it happen. The Golden Eagles improved to 6-1 on the season and finished their first appearance in the Round Rock Classic with a clean sweep.

Southern Miss came into the weekend ranked No. 20 in the nation, but after how it handled business against Purdue, No. 11 Oregon State, and Baylor, there's a strong case for the Golden Eagles to be moved up into the Top-15 heading into a new week. Head coach Christian Ostrander and his squad have to be thrilled with how this season has started.

Golden Eagles Jump on Bears Early and Don't Let Up

Matthew Russo awaits a pitch in the top of the seventh inning of Southern Miss' win over Baylor. / Dalton Trigg

The Golden Eagles jumped on the Bears early on Sunday, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning thanks to junior catcher Lawson Odom being walked with the bases loaded and then a sac-fly by junior shortstop Seth Smith.

In the bottom of the third, senior RHP Thomas Crabtree, who came on in relief of starting RHP McCarty English, found himself in a jam with Baylor loading the bases. The Tennessee transfer hit a batter to walk in a run for the Bears, but then got the next two batters out to retire the side. In the top of the fourth, though, Southern Miss got that run back, taking a 3-1 lead on a Joey Urban single that scored Smith.

Thomas Crabtree and Matthew Russo celebrate after a Crabtree strikeout to end the frame. Crabtree finished with a team-high five strikeouts. / Dalton Trigg

That score held all the way until the top of the ninth inning, when freshman outfielder William Tonsmeire, who got his first action of the season on Sunday, reached first on a Baylor error that scored another run, making it 4-1. Soon after that, Smith, who has been on a tear recently, ripped an RBI single up the middle to add on the final run of the game, giving Southern Miss a 5-1 lead that held to the end.

Pitching and Hitting Equally Impressive

Kros Sivley finished with three strikeouts in three innings for Southern Miss. / Clark Webster

Although Baylor had a good bit of traffic on the bases throughout the night, the Southern Miss defense only gave up three hits. English, Crabtree, senior LHP Kros Sivley, freshman RHP Sam Mitchell, and senior RHP JW Armistead finished with a combined 12 strikeouts while giving up only one earned run. Michell had an impressive bottom of the eighth, but Armistead came on for him in the bottom of the ninth to get the final two outs of the game.

The Golden Eagles finished with 12 hits overall, with Russo and Smith leading the way with three hits each. The Southern Miss high-powered offense produced 19 runs throughout the weekend at the Round Rock Classic.

Midweek SEC Foe Next Up

The Dell Diamond scoreboard pays tribute to Southern Miss winning the Round Rock Classic. / Dalton Trigg

Next up, Southern Miss will welcome Alabama (7-1) to Pete Taylor Park for a high-powered midweek matchup. Although Alabama is a tough opponent that the Golden Eagles will give an appropriate amount of respect to, Southern Miss has been more battle-tested by its early-season strength of schedule.

Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI, as we'll be back at The Pete on Tuesday to cover the Golden Eagles and the Crimson Tide. Also, be sure to subscribe to the Nasty Bunch & Beyond podcast for a full Round Rock Classic recap episode coming this week.

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