App State baseball hosted No. 22 Southern Miss in a three-game series Friday-Sunday, losing the series 3-0.
The Mountaineers struggled in the first game, losing 10-1. They recorded 4 hits to the Golden Eagles 18.
Southern Miss wasted no time, scoring on a 2-run double and taking a 2-0 lead at the end of the first inning.
The Golden Eagles followed with 7 unanswered runs until the fourth inning. A sacrifice fly from sophomore first baseman Kameron Miller scored senior infielder Joseph Zamora, making the score 7-1.
However, this was the only score for the Mountaineers and they fell 10-1.
Zamora was a bright spot, going 2-3 from the plate and scoring the lone run.
The Black and Gold went deep into the bullpen, playing four pitchers including redshirt senior pitcher Caleb Cross. Cross now has a record of 6-2 in the season.
App State lost the second game of the series Saturday 7-3.
The game started slow with neither team scoring in the first 2 frames.
The Black and Gold got on the board first in the third inning, due to an RBI single from Miller.
The Mountaineers held onto their lead through the fourth and fifth frames. However, the Golden Eagles would answer with 3 runs in the sixth inning, capturing a 3-1 lead.
Southern Miss scored 3 more runs in the seventh and eight innings, extending their lead 6-1.
A 2-run home run from senior first baseman Juan Correa kept the Black and Gold in the game. Southern Miss answered with a home run of their own in the ninth inning extending their lead 7-3.
The Black and Gold lost the final game of the series in a close game on Sunday 7-6.
Southern Miss scored first on an RBI single in the first frame. Despite a walk by junior pitcher Everette Harris loading the bases, the Mountaineers were able to get out of the jam.
The Golden Eagles led 1-0 at the end of the first inning and the second inning saw no scoring from either side.
A lead off solo shot from Southern Miss started the third inning. In the middle of the frame, Harris was relieved by freshman pitcher Conner Barozzino.
The Mountaineers went scoreless in the third inning, trailing 2-0.
In the next inning, the Golden Eagles hit a 3-run home run to extend their lead to 5-0. After the home run, graduate student pitcher Collin Welch took the mound, the third pitcher in 4 innings for App State.
A RBI from freshman utility player Riley Luft put the Black and Gold on the board. Sophomore infielder Tanner McCammon followed with a RBI of his own.
Miller continued the scoring with a 2-RBI single.
App State scored 4 runs in the fourth inning, cutting into the lead 5-4.
The Golden Eagles scored 1 run in the fifth extending their lead 6-4.
A ground out RBI from Zamora made the score 6-5 at the end of the sixth inning.
The Golden Eagles countered with their second solo shot of the game and extended their lead to 7-5 at the end of the seventh.
There was no scoring in the eighth inning to set up a do or die inning for the Black and Gold.
After a scoreless top of the ninth for the Golden Eagles, Miller hit a solo home run to cut the lead to 7-6.
“I think a big thing that we saw from us today was fight,” Miller said.
