Southern Miss baseball walks off Kennesaw State, sets up LSU rematch at Hattiesburg Regional
HATTIESBURG — The Southern Miss baseball celebration spilled all the way into left center field, the Golden Eagles mobbing first baseman Christopher Sargent – the man who saved their season.
Sargent's walk-off liner into the left-field corner in the 10th inning secured a 4-3 win for the Golden Eagles on Sunday and set up a rematch with LSU (6 p.m., ESPN+) later in the day.
The Golden Eagle offense awoke just in time. USM (45-17) had three hits against an unimpressive Kennesaw State pitching staff entering the bottom of the ninth, trailing 3-2.
USM Blows Late Lead Against LSU: USM missing putaway pitch in ninth-inning collapse against LSU at Hattiesburg Regional
Hall American: Southern Miss pitcher Tanner Hall claims first-team All-American honors
But Sargent doubled to left to start the inning, and Danny Lynch poked a single to the opposite field to tie the score and set the stage for the walk-off in the 10th.
Hunter Riggins outstanding for Southern Miss
Starter Hunter Riggins nearly didn't need any help.
The righty turned in his second nine-inning outing of the year and became the third Southern Miss starter to turn in an outstanding performance in the Hattiesburg Regional.
The Golden Eagles' starters have allowed only three earned runs through 23⅔ innings.
Riggins used a sharp breaking ball and a brutal tailing fastball to help USM overcome a slow-starting lineup and a key defensive mistake.
He allowed seven hits, one earned run and a walk, thriving on ground ball outs in a classically efficient performance.
Defensive blunders cost both teams
The Golden Eagles had played a relatively sharp brand of baseball through their first two games of the Hattiesburg Regional.
That changed Sunday afternoon with a costly error.
In the fourth inning, Kennesaw State scored its first run on a throwing error by USM third baseman Danny Lynch, whose low throw couldn't be dug out by Sargent.
Fortunately for the Golden Eagles, Kennesaw State made a key mistake of its own.
Reece Ewing hit a bases-loaded ground ball to first with one out in the sixth. The Owls cut down the run at home, but the return throw to first wasn't handled, trickling into right field to allow Carson Paetow to score and tie the score 2-2 in the sixth.
Bizarre sequence extends early USM deficit
Riggins appeared to have limited the damage in the fourth when Blake Johnson – the catcher – reeled in a pop fly in foul territory near the Golden Eagles' dugout on the third-base line.
However, the home plate umpire ruled that Johnson caught the ball while planted on a concrete area near the entrance to the dugout – making him out of play.
Replay confirmed the call, and Kennesaw State designated hitter Brayden Eidson used his second chance to deliver an RBI single and extend his club's advantage to two runs.
Reach Southern Miss writer David Eckert at deckert@gannett.com or on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Southern Miss baseball walks off vs. Kennesaw State, gets LSU rematch
