Southern Miss beats Ole Miss again for season sweep

By By Ryan Satcher / staff writer
April 28, 2004
JACKSON The Golden Eagles of Southern Mississippi needed to get back on the right track, and senior pitcher Anthony Dewitt turned out to be just the guide Corky Palmer's squad was looking for.
Dewitt pitched eight solid innings to help the Golden Eagles pick up a 6-3 victory over Ole Miss in the Entergy Magnolia Classic at Smith-Wills Stadium on Tuesday night before a crowd of 4,827.
The win not only stopped a slide by Southern Miss, but also helped secure Dewitt's spot in the starting rotation.
The victory also gave Southern Miss the season sweep over the Rebels. It was the first time the Golden Eagles have ever swept Ole Miss in a season when the two teams squared off in more than one game during the year.
USM was in need of the win after being swept by Tulane over the weekend.
Dewitt was able to come back from an embarrassing outing against Tulane in which he only recorded one out while allowing six runs. According to the senior, getting his pitches down in the strike zone was the key.
Southern Miss jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Matt Shepherd walked and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Jarrett Hoffpauir.
Ole Miss answered in the second inning with a single by Xan Barksdale that brought Barry Gunther to tie the score.
The Rebels added another run in the third inning on a double by Charlie Babineaux to make the score 2-1.
The Golden Eagles took advantage of a couple of breaks in the fourth inning to take back the lead.
Brad Willcutt reached on an error and Carlos Velasquez reached on a bunt single. A ground ball by Ryan Frith took a terrible hop and bounced into the outfield to allow Willcutt to score.
Velasquez later scored on a double play ground ball by Jody Blount to give Southern Miss a 3-2 lead.
Blount, a former Union standout, blasted a three-run home run in the top of the sixth inning to stretch the lead to 6-2 and Dewitt allowed just a run in the eighth on his way to the win.
The victory moves USM to 31-11 for the season. The loss, Ole Miss' sixth in a row, drops Ole Miss to 31-12.
The Golden Eagles will take on UAB this weekend, while the Rebels will host Murray State today before traveling to play South Carolina in SEC play this weekend.