Southern Miss baseball edges LSU in Hattiesburg, advances to NCAA Super Regional
The Hattiesburg regional finale went the Eagles’ way.
Southern Miss scratched a go-ahead run across the plate in the ninth inning and didn’t allow a runner to reach base in the bottom half of the final frame to send the LSU Tigers packing, 8-7.
Danny Lynch hit a sac fly deep enough to score Christopher Sargent from third in the ninth. Sargent, Lynch and Slade Wilks had eight hits together in the heart of the lineup.
It was a back-and-forth affair that featured runs in eight different half-innings. LSU held a 4-1 lead after three, but two Golden Eagles runs in the fourth, and four more the seventh put USM temporarily on top.
LSU plated three runs between the seventh and eighth and sent the contest into the final inning tied.
That’s where Sargent singled, Wilks moved him to third and Lynch scored him.
Christopher Sargent takes charge
Sargent has been playing every game in the NCAA tournament with a hurt back, but it hasn’t slowed the first baseman. In fact, he’s improved.
He was 11-for-21 at the plate with six runs scored in five games and was named MVP of the Hattiesburg Regional.
“It was never easy, I’m hurting a lot,” Sargent said. “I think knowing that there was no extra pressure, I just knew I needed to help my team. Danny (Lynch) helped me push through each day and the team helped me do that every day.”
According to Sargent, nursing a bad back may have improved his swing. It’s forced him to shorten up across the plate, creating quicker action with immediate returns.
Sargent had two hits with a double against Army, walked off Kennesaw State and tagged LSU for seven hits in three games.
“I’m not able to get my full swing off, but I’ve got a problem getting too tall in the zone,” Sargent said. “But with my hurt back I have to stay short. Turns out staying short is the thing to do.”
Dustin Dickerson’s diamond defense
In each game of the regional, Dickerson made an impressive play at shortstop with his glove. Dickerson’s presence left of the mound and in the shift had an impact on the weekend that won’t show up in any box scores.
In the third inning of Monday’s game, Dickerson fielded a ground ball, raced to second base himself and lasered the ball to first base to complete an impressive double play.
In the very next at bat, LSU’s Cade Doughty launched a home run. It was a solo shot that could’ve been worth more if not for the reaction and arm of Dickerson on the previous play.
“(Dickerson) and Will McGillis in the middle have been really, really good for us all year,” Berry said. “These guys have been playing that middle now together, and the whole infield... they know each other and know what’s going to happen before it happens.”
Dickerson had 24 assists and 13 putouts in the regional, creating a 7.47 range factor. For context, no MLB player has had a range factor over 5.0 since 2011.
The sophomore also had three hits and reached base eight times.
Tyler Stuart finds redemption
Stuart was called upon in the 10th inning of the first game against LSU. The Tigers had just scored four runs in the ninth inning to force extras and had every bit of momentum on their side.
Stuart made it just one out before giving up a bases loaded fielder’s choice from Josh Pearson that walked off the Golden Eagles and sent them to the loser’s bracket.
Two days later, Stuart was the fifth USM pitcher called to the mound when he entered in the eighth inning. LSU had just tied the game and Berry needed a momentum-stopper.
Stuart did just that, throwing 1.1 innings and striking out the final batter of the ball game.
“It was just a great moment all around, we had a line of pitchers that won this game,” Stuart said. “We started with Tanner (Hall) and then went with Chandler (Best), Dalton (Rogers), (Landon) Harper and then me. Nothing crazy, we’ve been doing this all year. It just happened to be my turn. To get the ball there in that moment felt great, especially to redeem myself.”
Southern Miss needed a string of moments to make history. More than Sargent’s bat, Dickerson’s glove and Stuart’s clutch pitching.
It was the weekend rotation allowing just three earned runs in 23.2 innings to start the weekend. It was Carson Paetow launching three home runs against LSU in three games. It was the emergence of a yellow paddle that became the center of every rally.
It was these moments that have lead to the first Super Regional ever hosted in Hattiesburg.
Southern Miss will host Ole Miss this weekend after Mississippi pounded Arizona, 22-6. The winner of the Super Regional will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
This story was originally published June 6, 2022 at 7:01 PM.
