HATTIESBURG, Miss. – No. 22 Southern Miss came into Saturday’s game against Texas State looking to carry over momentum from Friday’s 8-2 win. Thanks in large part to a career day on the mound for sophomore RHP Camden Sunstrom, the Golden Eagles did just that, defeating the Bobcats 6-3 on Saturday to clinch the pivotal Sun Belt series.
With the win, the Golden Eagles improved to 27-12 overall and 10-7 in Sun Belt play, putting them in sole possession of second place in the conference standings. The Bobcats fell to 25-14 overall and 9-8 in Sun Belt play.
‘Sunny’ Answers Coach Oz’s Challenge
Over the last several weekends, things just didn’t quite go Sunstrom’s way when it got to the middle innings of the games he started in. However, Southern Miss head coach challenged Sunstrom to bounce back and make it through at least six innings this Saturday, and that call was answered in a big way.
“The past few Saturdays, I have ran into a wall, if you will, around the fourth and fifth innings,” Sunstrom tells Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI. “About a week ago, Coach Oz challenged me to get through six. It was a great feeling, not only getting through that sixth inning, but it feels even better to know that we have momentum going into tomorrow.”
Sunstrom (3-3) ended up with career highs in both innings pitched (6) and pitches thrown (93) in the series-clinching win. He registered six strikeouts with only two runs and four hits given up during those six innings. Aside from a two-run homer given up in the top of the second inning, Sunstrom pitched shutouts in the other five innings.
“There’s absolutely zero quit in this team,” Sunstrom said of his team’s resilliancy. “The hitters really helped us out today with a pass-the-bat kind of mentality. We also never got complacent with the lead, which is what helped us to keep going late in the eighth inning with some big hits.”
It may have technically been cloudy for most of the game, but on the mound, it was truly a “Sunny Saturday.”
Train Horns in the Eighth
The Golden Eagles entered the bottom of the eighth inning with a 3-2 lead, a score that had been the same since the bottom of the third inning. Knowing that it had Texas State down to its last three outs, Southern Miss was looking for some insurance runs before heading to the ninth, and it got it on a pair of long balls from junior outfielder Davis Gillespie and junior catcher Tucker Stockman.
Facing a full count to lead off the bottom of the eighth, Gillespie launched a solo homer 104 mph and 394 feet over the “Tradition of Excellence” billboard in left field. It was the 10th home run of the season for Gillespie, who is batting .315 on the year.
Then, with senior outfielder Ben Hidgon on first base due to a walk, Stockman hit a home run to left field as well. It was his fifth of the year. Stockman’s hitting hasn’t been near where he’d like it to be this season (.208 batting average), but after homering in consecutive weekends and going 2-3 at the plate on Saturday, maybe he’s starting to heat up at the perfect time.
It took nearly eight full innings for patrons of The Pete to hear that patented home run train horn blasting from The Roost, but it was well worth the wait.
Although they didn’t get in on the home run action today, senior outfielder Joey Urban (4-for-4) and sophomore third baseman Drey Barrett (3-for-4), who has really come on strong lately, combined for seven of the Golden Eagles’ 12 hits on Saturday.
Going for the Sweep… With a New Starting Pitcher
The Golden Eagles will now have a chance to sweep a series for the first time in conference play this season. The last time they swept any series was in early March against North Alabama. Coach Oz confirmed after Saturday’s game that sophomore RHP Camden Clark, who has been the team’s best closer this year, will make his first start on Sunday.
In 22 innings pitched over 16 appearances, Clark has a 1.23 ERA with 29 strikeouts compared to just four walks. He has only given up three earned runs all season. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more coverage following Clark’s first start.
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