One of the biggest things that Coach Tony Robichaux preaches is that you cannot allow a three-run inning if you want to win games.
On Saturday afternoon, that’s exactly what happened in the first inning after Tracy Hadley sent one flying over the left field wall to make it 3-0 in favor of Southern Miss (7-3). After the home run, Robichaux went up to the mound to calm down his sophomore pitcher Nick Lee. What Robe said must have worked as Lee was able to get himself together and the Cajuns (6-3) were able to come away with a 5-4 victory.
“I thought Nick did a great job settling in after the first inning.” Robichaux said of his sophomore pitcher, “The big thing you want to do when someone jumps you like that is to get the pitcher out of the past and into the present and start hanging zero so when you do score it’s relevant. Too many pitchers when they get cut like that they bleed to death. That was a veteran move out there for just a sophomore to be able shift gears, get out of the past, get onto the future, and hang all those zeroes.”
The Cajuns responded in the bottom of the first with an RBI double from Alex Pinero to make it 3-1.
The rally continued for the Cajuns as Todd Lott would make it a one-run deficit with an RBI single. The game would be tied later in the inning with Ishmael Edwards scoring from third off of a wild pitch.
Lott would give the Cajuns the lead in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI double. Later in the inning, Steven Sensley came up with an RBI single to make it a 5-3 lead.
The Golden Eagles would respond in the sixth inning with an RBI double to cut it down to one run. Jevin Huval would stop Southern Miss’ attempt at a rally and were able to come away with the win to clinch the series.
Lee would improve to 3-0 on the season allowing four runs off of six hits and four strikeouts in five innings of work. Dylan Moore would get his fourth save of the season to tie the Sun Belt record for career saves.
The Cajuns will go for the sweep on Sunday with first pitch set for 1 pm.
-Clint Domingue