USM shutout MSU 3-0 on Tuesday

Story from USM athletics:
HATTIESBURG, Miss. –Joey Urban collected three hits and four Southern Miss pitchers limited Mississippi State to four hits as the Golden Eagles registered a 3-0 shutout victory over the Bulldogs Tuesday night at Pete Taylor Park/ Hill Denson Field.

The Golden Eagles have now won the first five games to start the campaign, marking its first 5-0 beginning to the year since 2016. It also marked the first shutout of the Bulldogs since a 1-0 decision in 2019 at Starkville.

The fifth-largest crowd of 5,741 at Pete Taylor Park saw the Golden Eagles jump out to a 1-0 lead without the benefit of a hit in the first.

Both Ben Higdon and Ozzie Pratt walked to lead off the bottom of the opening inning off MSU left-hander Charlie Foster. After a strikeout, Matthew Russo was erased on a comebacker to Foster that moved the runners up to second and third.  Higdon then scored on a Ross Highfill passed ball for the early Golden Eagle lead.

Southern Miss completed their scoring a frame later. With one out, Urban homered off the scoreboard in left-center field with one out, his first of the year, before Higdon reached via a fielding error by Bulldog second baseman Sawyer Reeves. Higdon then tried to steal on a pitch and Foster’s throw was wild and Higdon scored on the play to complete the game’s scoring.

Urban also doubled and singled in the contest as he had three of the four Golden Eagle hits.

MSU opened the game with a walk, but Southern Miss starter Colby Allen then got Highfill to ground into a double play and the Louisville, Miss., native retired all but one other batter – a two-out error for Dylan Cupp in the third – over his four-inning start that helped him collect the victory as he improved to 1-0. He fanned five and walked one in the outing.

Redshirt freshman Cal Culpepper followed with two scoreless innings that included just one hit surrendered. Josh Och followed with two innings of his own and scattered three hits with a pair of strikeouts.

The home squad then went to Landen Payne in the ninth and struck out the side to earn his first save.

Foster gave up three runs (one earned) on one hit with two walks and three strikeouts to suffer the loss and fall to 0-1.

The game marked Mississippi State’s first trip to Hattiesburg since the start of the 2018 season when the Golden Eagles swept that three-game series.

The Golden Eagles continue their eight-game season-opening homestand with a weekend series with Louisiana Tech this weekend. The series begins on Friday at 6 p.m.