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Indiana State University Athletics

Pruitt
1
Indiana State INS 7-2
5
Winner Southern Miss USM 7-3
Indiana State INS
7-2
1
Final
5
Southern Miss USM
7-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Indiana State INS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0
Southern Miss USM 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 X 5 5 0

W: Mazza, Niko (2-0) L: Davidson, Zach (1-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Seth Montgomery | GoSycamores.com

Southern Miss uses seventh-inning rally to top Indiana State in series opener

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss broke open a pitchers' duel in the bottom of the seventh inning with a four-run frame to propel the Golden Eagles past Indiana State in the opening game of the series as the Sycamores fell to host USM at Pete Taylor Park, 5-1.
 
The Sycamores (7-2) were locked in a 1-1 tie from the first inning with USM (7-3) as ISU's Jacob Pruitt and USM's Niko Mazza (2-0) traded strikeouts and zeroes on the scoreboard for a majority of the contest. Pruitt went 5.1 innings posting his second consecutive 11-strikeout game allowing just a run in the bottom of the first inning, while Mazza surrendered a first-inning Randal Diaz solo home run as the lone blemish in his 7.0-inning, 8-strikeout outing on the mound.
 
Pruitt left the game midway through the sixth with Zach Davidson (1-1) taking the mound in relief. The senior left-hander pitched around trouble in the frame, but was unable to escape the seventh inning unscathed as the Golden Eagles took advantage of a pair of early walks on their way to plating four runs.
 
Dalton McIntyre provided the big hit with a two-run single up the middle giving USM its first lead of the game. The Golden Eagles added two more in the inning with Slade Wilks' fly ball to right getting lost in the fog, leading to an inside-the-park home run.
 
Indiana State had chances to score in the eighth and ninth innings putting runners on base on Josue Urdaneta's triple (8th) and Luis Hernandez and Henry Brown's singles in the ninth, but both opportunities were shut down by inning-ending double plays.
 
Diaz's second home run of 2024 and Urdaneta's first triple of the season highlighted ISU's six hits in the contest on Friday. Dominic Listi reached base on a single and was hit by a pitch, while Luis Hernandez also singled and was plunked to reach base twice in the contest.
 
Pruitt pitched around a bout of wildness in his third start of the season. The sophomore right-hander went 5.1 innings allowing three hits and a run, while striking out 11 and walking five. Davidson went the final 2.2 innings allowing two hits and four runs, while striking out two and walking three.
 
USM's Dalton McIntyre was the lone player of the game with multiple hits as the Golden Eagles were limited to five hits in the contest. Wilks' inside-the-park home run was the lone extra-base hit for USM in the contest.
 
Mazza went 7.0 innings allowing three hits and a run while striking out eight and walking one. He also hit two batters over his day on the mound before turning the ball over to Kros Sivley for the final two frames.
 
How They Scored
  • Randal Diaz put the Sycamores in the lead two batters into the game as the junior shortstop drove a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left centerfield for a solo home run to give Indiana State the 1-0 lead.
  • Southern Miss tied the game up in the bottom of the frame as Matthew Russo drew a bases-loaded walk to knot the score at 1-1.
  • The Golden Eagles broke the game open with a four-run bottom of the seventh inning highlighted by Dalton McIntyre's two-run single, while Slade Wilks' fly ball to right field disappeared into the fog and landed away from the Sycamore defense allowing a two-run inside-the-park home run to provide the final 5-1 margin.
News & Notes
  • Jacob Pruitt became the first Indiana State pitcher since Geremy Guerrero to post back-to-back double-digit strikeout efforts following his 11-K game against Southern Miss. Guerrero last accomplished the feat against FIU (15 - Mar. 5, 2021) and Florida Atlantic (13 - Mar. 12, 2021).
  • Riley Iffrig made his Sycamore debut and his starting debut as the designated hitter on Friday night.
  • The Sycamores hit into a season-high four double plays in the loss.
Up Next
Indiana State continues the weekend series tomorrow afternoon as the Sycamores and Golden Eagles continue in Hattiesburg, Miss. First pitch between the Sycamores and USM at Pete Taylor Park is set for 3 p.m. ET. The game will be carried live on ESPN+.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
 
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