HATTIESBURG — One of the biggest regular-season series in Hattiesburg in years has been nothing short of golden for the home team so far.

Bryant Bowen singled in two runs in the first inning, Luke Reynolds went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, and Southern Miss beat Mississippi State 7-4 on Saturday in game two of their season-opening series at Pete Taylor Park.

Southern Miss scored five runs in the first two innings and has not trailed so far in winning the first two games of the three-game series. The finale is Sunday at 1 p.m.

Each of the first two games in the series has ranked in the top 10 all-time at Pete Taylor Park, and Sunday’s game is also sold out. Saturday’s crowd was announced at 4,988.

Mississippi State collected 12 hits and tried to fight back from an early 5-0 deficit Saturday, but hit into three double plays and stranded six base runners.

Mississippi State has lost four of its last five season openers, but this is the first time it is 0-2 since 2001. That team went on to reach the NCAA Tournament’s super regional round and won the Southeastern Conference tournament championship.

“They are too good a veteran team to give them five runs over the first two innings,” Mississippi State coach Andy Cannizaro said. “I was proud of how we played the rest of the way. We had some competitive at-bats. We defended the field well. From the third inning on, we played well. We have to have that carry over to the final game of the weekend, so that we can get a win.”

Southern Miss roughed up MSU starter Ethan Small for five runs on seven hits in only four innings. Three of those hits came in the first inning, when Mason Irby singled and later scored on a groundout and Bowen delivered a two-run single.

Jaylon Keys and Luke Reynolds both hit solo home runs in the second inning to push the Golden Eagles’ lead to 5-0.

Reynolds, who sat out last season after transferring to USM from Mississippi State, is 4-for-7 with a home run, four RBIs and five runs scored in the first two games of the series.

“We just made it even sweeter,” Reynolds said. “But there’s no hard feelings with Mississippi State. It’s just fun competing against them and kind of getting back at them a little bit.”

Josh Hatcher’s two-run homer in the third got Mississippi State back in the game, but Southern Miss answered with two runs of its own in the sixth to push the lead back to five runs.

Gabe Montenegro hit a pinch-hit RBI triple for Southern Miss and scored on a groundout by Irby.

“Ethan was better his third and fourth inning than he was in his first and second inning today and those were the first two innings he’s been on the mound in almost two full years after Tommy John Surgery,” Cannizaro said. “He’s a guy that’s got really good stuff, feel for three pitches. In the third and fourth inning, he was getting the ball down in the zone. This is a big, physical team so you’ve got to work the bottom half to get them out.”

Southern Miss’ pitchers tag teamed the game to keep the Bulldogs in check. Starter Stevie Powers allowed two runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings, and left with a no-decision after giving up a one-out single to Hatcher in the fifth.

Jarod Wright replaced him, induced a double play ball, and threw another three innings to pick up the win. Adam Jackson worked the ninth.

The three Southern Miss pitchers combined to strike out five batters and only walked one, despite giving up 12 hits.