HATTIESBURG (AP) — Daniel Keating came through with a career day in a crucial contest for Southern Miss on Wednesday.

Keating hit a three-run home run in the first and finished with a career-high five RBIs as Southern Miss won 17-5 over Old Dominion in seven innings on the first day of the Conference USA baseball tournament.

The sophomore’s three-run bomb in the first inning was a no-doubter just to the right of the scoreboard in left field, helping spring the Eagles to a huge day at the plate at Pete Taylor Park.

Southern Miss (37-18) managed to get back on track after taking a deflating sweep in the final weekend of the regular season at FIU.

“We did a great job tonight coming out, making a statement,” Keating said. “We had a rough series at FIU. We didn’t play our best. We brushed it off. It’s good to get that behind us.”

Keating’s homer was his fifth of the season, giving USM a 4-0 lead in the first inning. He finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of runs scored.

“That was a fastball. It was pretty fat, right down the middle of the plate,” Keating said of his homer. “We’re seeing the ball really well. We went out and played relaxed at the plate. We took good cuts at good pitches and didn’t try to do too much. We just trusted the next guy.”

Southern Miss will play the winner of Wednesday night’s FIU-Marshall game at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. If the Golden Eagles win that contest, they will receive a bye on Friday and advance to Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. semifinal.

Sophomore left-hander Kirk McCarty (6-1, 3.27) will be the starting pitcher for USM on Thursday.

The man who put the game to bed was USM senior first baseman Tim Lynch, who hit a grand slam with one out in the bottom of the fifth for a 12-5 lead. Lynch’s homer sparked USM’s biggest offensive output in one inning this season with the Eagles putting eight across to extend the lead to 16-5.

Lynch finished 2-of-3 with four RBIs.

USM senior center fielder Jake Sandlin, who was 2-for-4 with three runs scored, added a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the sixth to set the final score.

“We kept our foot on the gas,” Southern Miss coach Scott Berry said. “Coming off of a tough weekend at Miami, for our guys to come out and put that weekend behind us and open up a new season in this tournament, I was really pleased, really pleased, with the way our team responded.”

Senior right-hander Jake Winston saved the day for Southern Miss out of the bullpen after senior starting pitcher Cord Cockrell failed to make it out of the second inning.

Winston entered the game with two outs in the second after ODU put up five runs on homers by Kyle Beam and Zach Rutherford off Cockrell to take a 5-4 lead. Winston responded with four scoreless innings. He gave up only one hit, struck out three and walked two.

Winston’s final stats were impressive, but he admitted he didn’t feel his best on the mound.

“I didn’t hit one spot,” Winston said “If (catcher Chuckie Robinson) called it outside, I threw it inside. My breaking ball was pretty bad too. I made pitches when it counted, I guess.”

Cockrell missed time late in the season with a sore shoulder and he didn’t appear to be 100 percent Wednesday.

“It’s really unfortunate what’s happening with Cord right now,” Winston said. “We don’t really know what’s going on. Tonight, I’m guessing he didn’t feel his best. He was battling his but off, giving everything he’s got. The past three outings, I’ve just been kind of ready. The first couple of innings, I just tried to stay within myself.”

Cockrell rgave up a two-run homer to catcher Kyle Beam and a three-run homer to shortstop Zach Rutherford to give Old Dominion a 5-4 lead in the second inning.

But Southern Miss answered right back, scoring on second baseman Chase Scott’s two-run single to take a 6-5 lead against Monarchs starter Victor Diaz (6-4). The Golden Eagles never looked back, and the Monarchs managed just one more hit off relievers Winston (7-1), Luke Lowery and Clay Tageant after the second inning.

“It was 6-5, and then the wheels fell off,” Old Dominion coach Chris Finwood said.