noise, noise, noise

You might have heard something that sounded like fireworks coming from Orlando, Fla., way on Sunday. That would have been Southern Miss (now 22-5 and sure to climb in the polls) celebrating a Conference USA sweep of Central Florida. Many things went right for the Golden Eagles, but the performance of DH Marc Bourgeois stood out: 10-for-13, two home runs, nine RBIs. Meanwhile, the thud that emanated from Athens, Ga., was Mississippi State crashing back to earth after being swept in a Southeastern Conference series at Georgia. State (19-9, 4-5 SEC) was all pumped up after sweeping Auburn in Starkville last weekend. Best to remember that the baseball season is a marathon, not a dash. The Bulldogs’ offensive ills weren’t suddenly cured; they scored just five runs in the three games against Georgia. USM and State play Tuesday night at Trustmark Park. Expect more noise.
P.S. Jackson State’s Desmond Russell was at it again on Sunday. As the Tigers swept host Mississippi Valley in a SWAC doubleheader, Russell, a freshman from the Bahamas, notched a complete game win in the opener and then drove in four runs with a pair of homers as the cleanup batter in Game 2. … Congratulations to Matt Young, who made his big league debut (and scored a run) on Sunday and became the 50th Mississippi Braves alumnus to advance to The Show. And ex-M-Braves lefty Tim Collins (No. 49 on the list) got his first win with Kansas City.