HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Griffin Merritt with 4 for 5 with a RBI and two runs, Blake Burke had a double, a home run a two RBIs and Tennessee beat Southern Miss 8-4 Sunday to avoid elimination at the best-of-3 Hattiesburg Super Regional.
The winner of Game 3 on Monday will clinch a spot in the College World Series.
Tate Parker had a two-run triple in the first inning and Southern Miss never trailed in Game 1, which the Golden Eagles won 5-3 earlier Sunday. The opening game started Saturday but was suspended due to inclement weather.
In the second game, Christian Moore hit a double to lead off the top of the fourth and spark a six-run inning for the Vols. After Zane Denton flied out, Merritt drove in Moore with a single and Burke hit a home run to trim Tennessee’s deficit to 4-3. Christian Scott struck out before Cal Stark fouled off three consecutive two-strike pitches before he drew a walk, Maui Ahuna hit a single to center and Hunter Ensley was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jared Dickey followed with a single that drove in Stark and Ahuna before Ensley scored, and Dickey moved to second base, on a fielding error to make it 6-4.
Scott hit an RBI groundout that drove in Merritt and, after a throwing error, Burke scored to make it 8-4 in the top of the fifth.
Matthew Eztel led off the bottom of the third with a triple and scored when Dustin Dickerson hit the next pitch for a single. Slade Wilks followed with another single before Christopher Sargent hit a three-run shot off the scoreboard in left to give Southern Miss a 4-0 lead.
Chase Dollander (7-6) allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk over eight innings to get the win. He retired 18 of the 20 batters he faced after Sargent’s homer and finished with seven strikeouts.
Southern Miss (46-19) made the program’s only CWS appearance in 2009. The Volunteers (42-20) are trying to make their second trip to Omaha in the last three seasons and their sixth all time.
Dustin Dickerson homered with one out in the third and Nick Monistere hit a two-out shot in the fourth to give the Golden Eagles a 4-0 lead in Game 1. Play was halted on Saturday after Zane Denton singled with one out in the bottom of the fifth for the Volunteers.
Will Armistead took the mound for Southern Miss when play resumed. Denton was forced out at second on a grounder by Christian Scott for the second out. Armistead hit Cal Stark with a pitch, walked Maui Ahuna on a full count and then hit Hunter Ensley with the next pitch to force in a run. Justin Storm relieved Armistead and surrendered a two-run single to Jared Dickey before striking out clean-up hitter Griffin Merritt to end the inning.
Southern Miss answered with a run in the sixth when Parker doubled and scored on a ground out by Carson Paetow to complete the scoring.
Justin Storm (7-2) yielded no earned runs, pitching the final 4 1/3 innings to get the win. He allowed two hits and two walks, striking out three.
Andrew Lindsey (3-3) took the loss after giving up four runs on six hits and a walk in his four-inning start on Saturday. He struck out five.
Two of Tennessee’s four hits came in its three-run fifth inning.
