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USM knocks off LSU, sets up monster of a Super Regional with Ole Miss

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USM knocks off LSU, sets up monster of a Super Regional with Ole Miss

HATTIESBURG – Nothing was easy. Nothing ever is for Southern Miss, no matter the sport, no matter the venue.

But Scott Berry’s Golden Eagles achieved on a hot, muggy Monday afternoon what had seemed nearly impossible late Saturday night. They defeated the LSU Tigers 8-7, erasing a 4-1 deficit, to claim the championship of the Hattiesburg NCAA Regional. In doing so, they sent a highly partisan home crowd at Pete Taylor Park into something bordering on delirium.

Rick Cleveland

The victory – or victories – set up a monster of a Super Regional this coming when Ole Miss, winner of the Coral Gables Regional, to town.

After the last pitch, Southern Miss players charged the infield where they piled on to one another. Then they headed for Pete Taylor Park’s Right Field Roost where they literally climbed the outfield wall to high-five with celebrating fans. Still an hour after the , sweat-soaked fans lingered, soaking in the moment, lavishing in what their favorite team had achieved.

They had achieved so much. After LSU erased a four-run deficit and knocked the Eagles into the losers bracket Saturday night, Southern Miss had to win three straight a matter of 30 hours. They had to beat LSU twice.

“I’m so proud, I’m just so proud,” Berry said, rubbing his bald head, his eyes misting.

If he said it once, he said it 20 times– “I’m just so proud” – during a of post-game interviews. He said he was proud for his players, proud for his coaches, proud for the thousands of fans who were still in the stands cheering. And he said, the emotion showing clearly in his tearing eyes, he was proud of the joy he knew the victory brings to his old boss, Corky Palmer, who because medical issues due to a massive stroke listens to the USM games these days on a radio in a Collins medical facility.

“I know how much this means to him,” Berry said. “I just wish he could be here to enjoy this. Man, he would enjoy this.”

Heroes were plenty. Christopher Sargent, the MVP of the Regional, provided three more hits, scored two runs and knocked in another. Danny Lynch and Gabe Montenegro also hit safely three times. Montenegro batted in three runs, including two on his clutch single in the seventh that scored two of the Eagles’ four runs in that crucial inning. Shortstop Dustin Dickerson made play after superb defensive play.

But the biggest was the largest Golden Eagle, 6-foot-9-inch Tyler Stuart, who entered with the game on the line in the eighth inning. LSU had tied the score at 7 and had a runner on base with two outs and the most dangerous part of the Tigers’ batting order coming to the plate. Stuart got Jacob Berry to ground out for the last out of the eighth.

Then after USM plated the go-ahead run in the ninth, Stuart retired Cade Doughty, Tre’ Morgan and Jordan Thompson –  who had combined for six hits and five RBIs. Doughty and Moran grounded out and then Thompson struck out.

Stuart went right at them, throwing 95- and 96-mph fast balls – as if to say: “Here comes the heat, let’s see what you got.” 

“Nothing but fast balls,” Stuart would say later. “That’s all I threw.”

That game-winning, ninth inning run? Sargent led off the inning with a two-strike single to center field. That brought up Slade Wilkes who lined a single to right field, moving Sargent all the way to third. Lynch followed with a high fly ball to left field, easily scoring Sargent from third.

That was all that Stuart would need. What Justin Storm had done the night before, holding the dangerous Tigers in check, Stuart did Monday.

Said Lynch, who was in the same USM signing class as Stuart three years ago, “Nobody has worked harder for this moment that Stu. Even when he wasn’t getting the to pitch as much as he wanted, he never stopped working. Even when he had Tommy John surgery, he just kept working. I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Berry smiled and nodded, as he listened to Lynch talk about his teammate.

“You have to do a lot of things right to win a game,” Berry said. “We did a lot of things right out there today, and in two games yesterday.”

Really, Southern Miss had only one bad inning in the tournament, when LSU rallied to win the game Saturday night.

“You don’t win 47 games unless you do a lot of things right,” Berry said. “You don’t win 47 games unless you have the kind of chemistry this team has.”

Southern Miss will take a 47-17 record into the Super Regional against an Ole Miss team, once ranked No. 1 in the country, which is playing its best baseball currently. The Rebels came to Hattiesburg late in the season to win a mid- game. The two teams split their two regular season games.

The Hattiesburg Super Regional will be a matchup of mutual respect. Bianco and Berry are good friends.

“In my mind, is responsible for building that Ole Miss program into one of the most respected in the country,” Berry said. “They ought to build a statue of him outside that stadium. He came to Ole Miss the same year I came to Southern Miss (as Palmer’s assistant.) I’ve watched it happen. It’s just amazing what he has achieved.”

Berry said he expects the Super Regional to be a celebration of Mississippi baseball.

“No other state loves its college baseball like the people of Mississippi,” Berry said.  “You look at Mississippi State last year. You look at the attendance figures at all three schools year after year after year. 

“This will be an amazing atmosphere. Heck, this was an amazing atmosphere this week. What a tournament. What a performance by our guys. Again, I couldn’t be more proud.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi News

Mississippi sees 5th largest increase in fatal crashes: study

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www.wjtv.com – Garret Grove – 2024-11-02 12:25:00

SUMMARY: A recent study highlights a troubling rise in road fatalities in Mississippi, with a nearly 31% increase in fatal accidents from 2012 to 2021, ranking it fifth highest in the country. The reported a spike during the 2024 Labor Day , responding to seven fatal crashes resulting in 15 deaths, to only three crashes and six deaths in 2021. Additionally, a 2023 showed Mississippi had the highest per capita fatal crashes during the Christmas period. Young drivers are particularly affected, as Mississippi ranks fifth for teenage driving fatalities nationwide.

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Mississippi News

Vicksburg man charged with assaulting woman in domestic dispute

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www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2024-11-02 11:33:00

SUMMARY: In Vicksburg, Mississippi, a domestic assault led to the hospitalization of a man and woman on November 2. were alerted by Merit Region after a 28-year-old man, Daron Evans, arrived with a stab wound. Authorities dispatched to the scene found the woman, who had also been assaulted. After receiving treatment, Evans was and charged with aggravated assault domestic violence; he is held without bond until his court appearance. The woman is in stable at the of Mississippi Medical Center. An investigation is ongoing.

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Mississippi News

Cloudy and humid weekend – Home – WCBI TV

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www.wcbi.com – Sadie Morris – 2024-11-02 10:13:00

SUMMARY: In Columbus, Mississippi, humid and cloudy weather is expected, with temperatures remaining above average in the lower 80s for the upcoming . Rain is forecasted for Election Day on Tuesday, continuing into the week with isolated showers likely. This Saturday will see patchy fog in the morning, clearing by midday, with a high around 80 degrees. Sunday will bring similar humidity, with a high in the lower 80s and mild overnight lows in the mid-60s. Throughout the week, expect persistent clouds and humidity alongside mild temperatures.

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