Scott Berry wanted Hunter Slater to deliver the knockout punch Saturday against Middle Tennessee.
The Southern Miss coach sent the redshirt freshman to the plate as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning. The Golden Eagles, up 7-4 at the time, had the bases loaded with one out. Slater struck out, and Southern Miss did not extend its lead.
Two innings later, however, Slater redeemed himself — and Berry — with a two-run home run to propel the home team to a 9-5 victory. The Black and Gold improved to 24-8 overall and 10-1 against Conference USA competition, while the Blue Raiders dropped to 14-17 and 2-9.