McGillis’ solo HR in 13th lifts USM past 49ers

From University of Southern Mississippi Sports Information Department

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WDAM) - University of Southern Mississippi second baseman Will McGillis homered to left field in the top of the 13th inning to lift the 18th-ranked Golden Eagles to a 6-5 victory over the University of North Carolina-Charlotte Saturday afternoon at Hayes Stadium.

The win, USM’s fifth in a row and 13th in its last 15 games, gave the Golden Eagles (23-8 overall, 10-2 Conference USA) a second sweep of a three-game, Conference USA road series. this season.

Charlotte (17-14, 4-8 C-USA) lot its seventh consecutive game.

Five USM pitchers limited the 49ers to three earned runs and only four hits.

Garrett Ramsey (4-0) pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for USM, allowing a hit and a walk with two strikeouts.

USM led 2-0 in the second inning on catcher Blake Johnson’s two-run single to left-center field.

Charlotte tied the game in the fourth inning without benefit of a hit on a hit batsman, walk, an overturned out call at second base to load the bases followed by a two-run throwing error.

USM went back ahead 4-2 in the sixth inning on McGillis’ two-run double, but the 49ers Kaden Hopson cracked a two-run home run in the seventh inning to tie the score.

Neither team scored until the 12th when the Golden Eagles went up a run on a two-out RBI single by Sargent, but saw Charlotte tie the game in the bottom of the inning when yet another call was overturned on review.

Landon Harper, who threw 2 1/3 innings in relief gave up a single to open the inning. After getting the first out on a foul ball, Harper hit a batter, putting runners at first and second base.

In came Ramsey, who loaded teh bases with a walk before getting the second out of the inning on st6riokeout.

Charlotte’s Nate Furman hit a slow ground ball to second base that McGillis flipped to first for what was called the final out of the game.

But like the fourth inning, the umpires went to review and overturned the original call and Furman ended with an RBI single to tie the contest at 5-5.

With the bases loaded and two outs, the 49ers followed with a screamer of line drive into right-center field that Carson Paetow dove for and caught to end the inning.

After McGillis’ homer in the 13th, Ramsey got Charlotte in order to seal the contest.

With the win, the Golden Eagles improved to 1-1 in extra innings.

Hale Sims (1-1), who threw the final three innings for Charlotte, allowed two runs on three hits to take the loss. He walked one, struck out one.

The Golden Eagles return home at 6 p.m. Tuesday to welcome welcome Southeastern Louisiana University to Pete Taylor Park.

The non-conference game will be USM’s lone home game in a current nine-game stretch.

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