HATTIESBURG — Southern Miss capped off a weekend of starts and stops with, appropriately, an abbreviated victory.

The Golden Eagles bashed three home runs and scored in five of the first six innings as they routed Western Kentucky 14-1 on Sunday.

The game was shortened to seven innings because of college baseball’s mercy rule. USM had won the first game of the series on Saturday after it was suspended Friday night because of lightning and rain.

Western Kentucky (15-16, 5-7 Conference USA) then won the middle game of the series later Saturday.

“I know people out there think we should win 12-1 every day, but it doesn’t work that way in college baseball,” Southern Miss coach Scott Berry told The Hattiesburg American in a postgame interview. “There are days that are better than others. And there are days like yesterday. But I felt like what we did today with the focus we showed, I was proud of them.”

Southern Miss (22-9, 8-3) struck for two runs in the bottom of the first inning and then started to put the hammer down by plating five runs in the third.

Matt Wallner hit a two-run home run, LeeMarcus Boyd drove in two runs with a single, and Gabe Montenegro capped the rally with an RBI single that made it 7-0.

Southern Miss added to the lead with two runs in the fourth inning, two more in the fifth, and three in the sixth.

Montenegro and Matthew Guidry hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth to finish the scoring.

Montenegro went 3-for-4 on the day, with a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored. Guidry had two hits and scored three runs, while Wallner was 2-for-3 with four RBIs.

Southern Miss finished with 15 hits. Eight of the nine starters had at least one, and seven players scored a run.

On the mound, Walker Powell pitched a complete game. He only needed 69 pitches to get through seven innings, and allowed one run on three hits and a walk. He struck out four batters.

“We just kept the gas pedal down on them and (Powell) kept the brakes on their offense,” Berry said.

Ray Zuberer III hit an RBI single in the fourth inning to bring in the only run for Western Kentucky.

“I just wanted to come out and go as long as I could so we could save arms,” Powell told The Hattiesburg American. “My cutter was working and I was able to keep it down in the zone. When I do that, it’s got the late cut on it to where I get a lot of ground balls and fly balls. A lot of quick contact, that’s what I strive for.”