HATTIESBURG — Its greatest strength neutralized, Southern Miss baseball played a game it wasn't designed to win in a must-win contest against LSU.
The Golden Eagles (45-17) won it anyway, defeating LSU 8-4 to force a winner-take-all rematch with the Tigers (40-21) on Monday (3 p.m., ESPN+).
Playing a fourth game of the Hattiesburg Regional and unable to rely on any of the three standout weekend starters that brought his team to this point, Southern Miss coach Scott Berry mixed and matched his way through nine innings.
After a poor showing in a narrow afternoon win against Kennesaw State earlier in the day, the Southern Miss lineup woke up to produce a vital eight-run contribution, and the Golden Eagles overcame the absence of their typical starting-pitching dominance.