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Southern Miss' Christopher Sargent drills 3-run HR to plate early 4-0 lead on Tennessee

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•06/11/23•

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Photo by Bobby McDuffie/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Tennessee is in trouble. The Southern Miss Golden Eagles secured an early 4-0 lead after senior Christopher Sargent hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning.

The moment felt like dangerous déjà vu for the Volunteers. In Game 1, Southern Miss secured the same 4-0 lead before the game was suspended in the fourth inning due to inclement weather. Nonetheless, the Golden Eagles finished the job on Sunday with a narrow 5-3 victory.

The home run is a nice surprise from Sargent after an inconsistent year from the plate. The 6-foot-1 senior is batting .252 this season with 14 home runs. The hit was Sargent’s first of the series against Tennessee. Sargent went 0-4 from the batting box in Game 1. Luckily for him, the Golden Eagles pulled through.

The Volunteers can’t afford the same fate in Game 2. It’ll cost them their season. Unfortunately for UT, the Golden Eagles won’t let the win slip from their talons easily. Southern Miss players are taking the field with head coach Scott Berry on their minds.

Berry previously announced this will be his final season. Every Southern Miss win means another game the players get to spend with their beloved coach.

“We’re doing it for coach,” Billy Oldham said following the Golden Eagles’ Game 1 win. “Coach Berry’s such a great man. He’s a great coach and we’re doing it for him. It’s his last ride and we want to make it the best we can.”

Tennessee hopes to spoil Southern Miss’ fairytale ending. The Volunteers didn’t take long to get to work. Following, the Golden Eagles’ four-run burst. Tennessee rattled off six runs of their own in the top of the fourth inning.

Southern Miss head coach Scott Berry isn’t fazed by the Tennessee’s lightning-fast comeback.

“Just stay in the middle of the rain,” Berry said during the bottom of the fourth inning. “Tennessee, hats off to them. They punched back that last inning and answered our four spots. So we got to keep it where it is right now. Let our offense get back involved again.”

Tennessee’s six-run streak was highlighted by a monstrous 479-foot bomb by slugger Blake Burke. Tennessee and Southern Miss will continue to battle it out for five more innings. The Volunteers led 6-4 as of this report but Tennessee would go on to win and tie their Super Regional matchup at one game a piece.