DECATUR, Ga. — Southern Miss and Georgia State played a weekend baseball series that seemed more like an extended home run derby. It took until Sunday for Southern Miss to fully enjoy the spectacle.

The Golden Eagles hit five home runs and scored multiple runs in each of the last five innings, as they overcame an early deficit to beat Georgia State 14-9.

Southern Miss (22-14, 9-6 Sun Belt Conference) won the finale after getting run-ruled by Georgia State (18-17, 9-6) in the first two games of the series.

The teams combined for 76 runs and 25 home runs in three games.

The long ball was pivotal to Southern Miss’ comeback Sunday, after it fell behind 6-1 in the third inning.
Carson Paetow hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning and Slade Wilks another two-run shot in the sixth to erase most of the deficit.

In the seventh inning, Matthew Russo tied the game with an RBI single and Dalton McIntyre followed with yet another two-run home run to put the Golden Eagles ahead 8-6.

Tucker Stockman doubled in two runs in the eighth inning, and Davis Gillespie and Nick Monistere hit RBI singles in the ninth to pad USM’s lead.

Georgia State’s Ryan Dyal belted a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, but the Panthers did not score any more runs.

Ozzie Pratt hit a solo home run for Southern Miss in the first inning and finished 3-for-5 with one RBI and three runs scored. Gillespie had three hits and scored twice, and Paetow drove in two runs and scored three.

Eight of Southern Miss’ nine starter had at least one hit and seven of the nine scored a run.

For all of the offensive fireworks, it was a stellar pitching performance that might have turned the game in Southern Miss’ favor. Kros Sivley came in from the bullpen in the third inning and did not allow a run until Dyal’s homer in the ninth.

Sivley (2-3) scattered six hits and one walk over six innings, and had six strikeouts.