Southern Miss erupts for 6 runs in the 8th to survive Southeastern Louisiana

Southern Miss Sports Information

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - Pinch hitter Rodrigo Montenegro started a six-run, eighth inning by collecting a two-run single as Southern Miss rallied late to beat Southeastern Louisiana, 10-6, Tuesday night in non-conference action at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.

The Golden Eagles (17-10) won for the second-straight game as they used late big scoring in each of these contests, including a season-high tying seven-run ninth at Troy on Sunday.

The home team jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Carson Paetow led off the frame with a solo home run to center, his third of the year, before Creek Robertson added a two-run single to extend the advantage.

The Lions, though, plated two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to take the lead. Tyler Finke registered a two-run single in the fifth and TJ Salvaggio homered with one on to left in the sixth, his fourth, to give the Lions (16-13) the advantage.

Blake Johnson tied the score for the Golden Eagles in their half of the sixth on his third homer of the year to left-center field.

That tied scored did not last long as SLU retook the lead in the seventh on an RBI groundout from McGwire Turner, before Connor Manola gave the Lions a 6-4 advantage with a run-scoring double.

The game remained that way until the eighth when Montenegro singled up the middle with the bases load. After another walk to reload the bases, Reece Ewing walked to force in a run in giving the Golden Eagles the lead for good. Southern Miss added a pair of runs on wild pitches before Slade Wilks completed the scoring with an RBI single.

Wilks and Paetow each finished with three of the 14 Golden Eagle hits.

Kros Sivley, the fifth of six Golden Eagle pitchers, threw a scoreless 1 1/3 innings and allowed a hit with two strikeouts to garner the victory and improve to 2-0. Southern Miss starter Will Armistead went four innings and gave up no runs on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

SLU reliever Dalton Aspholm gave up six runs on three hits and three walks over a third of a frame to suffer the loss and fall to 0-2.

The Golden Eagles now return to the road for a Sun Belt Conference series at Old Dominion, which begins Thursday at 5 p.m. CT.

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