things fall apart

Southern Miss players and fans might remember the seventh inning of today’s game for a long time. And for the wrong reasons. The Golden Eagles had their ace on the hill and a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning of the Conference USA Tournament opener against Memphis. Then, disaster. Thirteen Memphis batters went to the plate. Nine runs scored. Pierce, working under a scorching sun, was pulled after allowing a leadoff double and hitting a batter. USM coach Scott Berry went to the bullpen three times looking, without much success, for someone who could throw strikes. Or just quality pitches. There was another hit batsman. A walk. Another walk. A single. As things fell apart, the gold-clad Eagles fans got very grumpy. Mixed in before the torture ended were a wild pitch, a stolen base and five more hits, all blood-letting singles. Memphis led 11-3 when it had finished hitting and went on to post a 14-3 victory in eight innings. USM, needing a good performance at Trustmark Park this week to boost its NCAA regional hopes, is in a bind. The Eagles will get to play at least twice more, but one of those games is with top-seeded Rice. Oh, that seventh inning. Just like that, USM’s chances of making the championship game don’t look so good.