May 27, 2004

HOUSTON - Ryan Frith blasted a solo shot and Beau Griffin blasted a three-run home run after a fielding error kept the inning alive as No. 3 seed Southern Miss jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the second inning and went on an offensive explosion en route to a 16-4 victory over No. 2 Tulane in the first game of Bracket Two on Thursday (May 27) in the 2004 Conference USA Baseball Tournament presented by Sterling Bank at Cougar Field.

The game was completed after eight innings due to the conference's 10-run rule in tournament play.

With the win, Southern Miss keeps its tournament hopes alive, while Tulane is eliminated from and hopes for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.

The game also marks the fourth out of the five games played so far in the double-elimination tournament where the winning team scored nine or more runs. In addition, the 16 runs surrendered by the Green Wave are the most they have ever allowed in a league tournament game.

The Golden Eagles erupted for three runs in the fourth, blew the game wide open with six runs in the sixth for a commanding 13-4 lead behind two Tulane fielding errors, and added three more runs in the eighth.

Brad Willcutt's three-run bomb over the left field fence highlighted the fourth inning, while Frith's second homer of the day - a three-run shot - capped off the eighth.

The Green Wave's four runs all came in the fifth inning. Wes Swackhamer and Mark Hamilton lead off with back-to-back walks, and after a balk by Ezell advanced Swackhamer to second, Brian Bormaster laced a double to score Swackhamer. Joe Holland followed with a three-run homer to clear the bases.

Southern Miss' Patrick Ezell, who relieved starter Anthony DeWitt in the fifth with the score tied, earned the win to improve to 6-2 on the year, after pitching scoreless ball for four innings and allowing just three hits. Tulane's J.R. Crowel suffered the loss to fall to 7-2, surrendering nine runs - five earned - on eight hits in five innings of work.

Southern Miss will face the winner of the Memphis -UAB game, slated for later this afternoon, on Friday at 3:00 p.m.