USM avenges opening-round loss with 9-4 win over Samford Sunday

AUBURN, Ala. (WDAM) - The University of Southern Mississippi baseball team avenged an opening-round loss in the Auburn Regional Sunday afternoon, but the Golden Eagles won’t have much time to celebrate.

Second-seeded USM (43-18) eliminated Samford University, 9-4, at Plainsman Park, scoring the last six runs of the game to payback the t6hird-seeded Bulldogs for a 4-2 loss in Friday’s opening game of the regional.

Now, the Golden Eagles will face the bracket’s unbeaten team, fourth-seeded University of Pennsylvania, at 8:42 p.m.

The game originally was scheduled for an 8 p.m. first-pitch, but a weather delay of 2 hours, 18 minutes, threw the USM-Samford timetable off track.

The elimination game did not end until well after 7 p.m.

Nick Monistere’s two-run double and Matthew Etzel’s two-run single in a four-run sixth inning erased a 4-3 Samford lead and gave USM the lead for good.

Monistere, Etzel and Slade Wilks each drove in two runs, while Danny Lynch cracked his 13th homer of the season, a solo shot in the second inning.

USM scored its final two runs on sacrifice flies by Rodrigo Montenegro and Wilks.

Kros Sively (4-1) picked up the win in relief, allowing one run on six hits over four innings. He walked one, struck ut five.

USM’s Chandler Dawson threw the final 1 1/3 innings to earn his first save.

Samford reliever Jake Holifield (2-3) took the loss after allowing four runs on two hits in 2/3 of an inning. He also hit two batters.

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