LAFAYETTE, La. — Louisiana scored in four consecutive innings to beat No. 10 Southern Miss 6-5 Sunday at Russo Park and secure a Sun Belt Conference series victory. The Golden Eagles, who entered the game with a 25-11 record, 8-7 in conference play, suffered their first consecutive losses of the season.
Southern Miss’s pitching staff struggled, issuing eight walks and hitting four batters. Cajuns reliever Parker Smith (2-3) earned the win, allowing one run on two hits over 2 2/3 innings. Cody Brasch finished the game with three shutout innings to record his fifth save.
The Cajuns jumped ahead with three runs in the second inning. Colt Brown drove in the first run with a single, followed by Donovan LaSalle’s two-run single. The Golden Eagles responded in the third, tying the game with three runs. Seth Smith and Joey Urban led the offense with three hits each.
Louisiana added solo runs in the next three innings, including a sacrifice fly by Brown in the third. The Cajuns scored two more runs on bases-loaded walks in the fourth and fifth innings. Southern Miss scored twice in the fourth, with Urban’s double bringing home Smith, and Smith hitting his second home run of the year in the sixth for the final run of the game.
Ryan Och took the loss for Southern Miss, falling to 3-1 after allowing a run on one hit with three strikeouts. The Golden Eagles will return to action Tuesday for a game against in-state rival Ole Miss at Trustmark Park in Pearl, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m., where Southern Miss will be the visiting team.
