The Student Printz: April 28, 2021

SERVING SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SINCE 1927 • WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM • APRIL 28, 2021 | VOLUME 106 | ISSUE 30

SBDC HELPS BUSINESSES PG 3 H.E.R. SINGLE REVIEW PG 6

Southern Miss graduations throughout the years Photos courtesy of USM Digital Archives & The University of Southern Mississippi’s Facebook page

“GRADUATE” REVIEW PG 7

NEWS

APRIL 28, 2021

MEET THE STAFF Executive Editor

Brian Winters brian.s.winters@usm.edu

News & Features Editor Mary Murphy mary.s.murphy@usm.edu

Sports Editor

Charlie Luttrell charles.luttrell@usm.edu

Multimedia Editor

Earl Stoudemire earl.stoudmire@usm.edu

Design Editor

Marissa Haas marissa.haas@usm.edu

The views represented in The Student Printz’s columns and editorials do not represent those of the faculty, staff or administration of The University of Southern Mississippi. We welcome letters to the editor representing similar and contrasting opinions. To be eligible for publication, all submission must include name, class distinction, major, phone number and email address. Submissions should be emailed to printzeditors@ gmail.com by 5 p.m. on the Friday before publication. Please limit them to 500 words or less. The Student Printz reserves the right to refuse publication or edit any material on the basis of clarity, space or journalistic ethics.

Opinions expressed in The Student Printz are those of the writer and not necessarily those of The Student Printz, its publication manager, USM, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning or the USM Board of Student Publications.

Courtesy of Moffitt Health Center

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NEWS APRIL 28, 2021 WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM SBDC helps small businesses develop lasting connections JENNIFER SHIELDS PRINTZ REPORTER he University of Southern Mississippi’s Small Business Development Center, or SBDC, is best explained by its motto: “Transforming Mississippi One Small Business at a Time”.

Located in the Trent Lott National Center, the SBDC is a national organization with over a thousand centers available across the country. As the USM SBDC’s official website explains, “The USM SBDC is a partnership program with the U.S. Small Business Administration that provides services in the form of small business one-on-one no charge confidential counseling and college-level business development workshops.”

The center, which began operations in March 2015, offers free business and entrepreneurship guidance to anyone in the Pine Belt that is looking to start or enhance their business or product. Some of the services offered at the center include, but are not limited, to how to start a business, how to create a business plan and how to obtain finances. The center is also fully staffed with counselors that are thoroughly vetted to provide the best services to clients.

“Our foundational philosophy, our structure and our mission is to

help people in the state of Mississippi with their business ideas and with their businesses become better at what they do,” said Don Calcote, a certified Counselor at the SBDC. The SBDC serves any and everyone it can, including students, professors and members of the community.

Rita Mitchell, a Certified Counselor at the SBDC, is determined to help everyone she can. She can work with anyone “[from] young entrepreneur to student entrepreneur to anyone in our region who needs help starting, […] improving, redeveloping, or saving their business.”

Even though the center has been around for six years, the recent COVID-19 pandemic helped the SBDC considerably expand its clientele. When the center began operations in 2015, it had around 95 clients. This number has steadily grown over the years, and now, thanks in part to the pandemic, the center has reached nearly 1,000 clients.

The USM SBDC had its work cut out for it when COVID-19 first went big. When businesses suddenly had to close for several months due to stay-at-home orders, many business owners were unsure and afraid of what was to come. The SBDC helped reassure a lot of people’s worries, and offered ways

Courtesy of SBDC

to keep safe and work at the same time.

However, not everything has been easy for SBDC because of COVID-19. To maintain social distancing, SBDC counselors and administrators had to reconstruct how they would continue helping their current and potential clients.

This meant counselors figuring out how to work remotely at home and implementing virtual workshops.

Though the changes have been difficult, they have worked. The SBDC now offers several types of virtual workshops for anyone who needs assistance. The topics that have been discussed during the workshops include, but are

not limited to: “How to develop a business plan”, “Financial Strength in a Post-Covid climate”, “Reach Customers Online with Google” and “Use YouTube to grow your business”.

Workshop availability varies depending on topic. Some are ‘On-demand’ workshops, which means they can be repeated or taken several times. However, some of the workshops offered in April and May are only offered once for this term, so it’s first come, first serve.

If you would like to check out a full list of the workshops by the Small Business Development Center, please go to https://clients. mssbdc.org/events.aspx.

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NEWS

April 28, 2021

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Drago Named USM College of Arts and Sciences Alumnus of Year LANDY LAIRD SPECIAL TO STUDENT PRINTZ niversity of Southern Mississippi (USM) School of Music alumnus, Alejandro Drago, has been named the College of Arts and Sciences Alumnus of the Year for 2021. Each year, the college honors outstanding alumni, faculty and staff for their recent accomplishments in creative and scholarly research, teaching, advising and mentoring, and service.

A violinist, conductor, composer and teacher, Drago obtained his Master of Fine Arts in Violin Performance and Pedagogy at the Moscow State Conservatory, and his doctoral degree in orchestral conducting from Southern Miss.

“Every time I look back at my years at USM, I return to the feeling that accompanied me all that time: USM, for me, was a place of possibilities,” said Drago. “I felt trusted in my potential as a student and a scholar,

and challenged toward new achievements.”

Drago noted the tightly knit scholarly, educational and artistic community in Hattiesburg that was set on higher standards with their accomplishments.

“The dynamics of this unforgettable team of talented, driven individuals is a model and a blueprint for a good deal of the artistic and academic projects I manage, and to have been part of it is, and will remain for me, a token of pride,” he continued.

As a soloist and chamber musician, he has toured extensively in Russia, the United States, China, Austria, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Switzerland, Lithuania, Taiwan, Belarus, Italy, France, Brazil, Spain, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Portugal, Mexico, Colombia, Panama, Paraguay, Ecuador and Haiti. He has appeared as a guest conductor with professional and youth orchestras in the USA, Argentina, Brazil and Romania.

Presently he is the Music Director of

Photo courtesy of Southern Miss

the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra (GGFSO).

Drago conducts masterclasses, seminars and lectures extensively in Asia, Europe and the United States.

He teaches and performs regularly in festivals in Latin America, the US and Europe. He has been a member of the jury of junior and senior international competitions in China, the USA and Russia.

“Alejandro Drago is one of our most outstanding graduates from the

School of Music,” said Dr. Jay Dean, director of the School of Music and Dragos’ major professor during his time at USM. “From the time he arrived until the time he left, he consistently made a positive impression on everyone who worked with him.

He is an extraordinary musician and scholar.”

Since his graduation from USM, Dean and Drago have continued to collaborate on musical projects.

In July 2008, Alejandro joined the faculty at the University of North Dakota (UND) as the Professor of Violin and Viola and Director of the UND Chamber Orchestra.

Alejandro’s many awards include a special prize in the Rodolfo Lipizer International Competition (Italy, 1992), third prize in the Petar Konjovic International Young Musicians Competition (Yugoslavia, 1993) and the first prize in the “New Talents in Classical Music” Competition (Buenos Aires, 1997). His discography includes string quartets, concertos, and avant-garde tangos distributed internationally by EMI International label and Naxos Music Library Japan.

For more information about the School of Music, visit usm.edu/music.

Graduate School Inducts Students into 2021 Hall of Fame LANDY LAIRD SPECIAL TO STUDENT PRINTZ he University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Graduate School recently held an induction ceremony for its 2021 Graduate Student Hall of Fame, recognizing top students in each of the university’s four academic colleges. The students, who may be master’s, specialist, or doctoral candidates, are selected by their academic dean based on excellence in academic performance, research or creative productivity, and attitude and character.

This year, 12 students were inducted in a live (and live-streamed) ceremony held in Scianna Hall Auditorium on the Hattiesburg campus. Each student’s canvas portrait, photographed in their research or creative setting to showcase the student and their work, was unveiled and the students received a commemorative certificate. The portraits will be displayed in J.B. George Hall room 143 on the Hattiesburg campus, the new home of the Graduate School, for one full year.

Inductees include the following: *Brian Ward Bauer of Preston, Washington, College of Education and Human Sciences, School of Psychology (faculty mentor: Dr. Dan Capron) *Corinne Dekkers of St. Petersburg, Florida, College of Arts and Sciences,

Photos courtesy of Southern Miss

School of Humanities (faculty mentor: Dr. Adam Clay) *Emily Caroline Brister of Brandon, Mississippi, College of Nursing and Health Professions, School of Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice (faculty mentor: Dr. Cathy Hughes) *Hayley Michael Hasik of Melissa, Texas, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Humanities (faculty mentor: Dr. Heather Stur) *Emily Stahley of St. Paul, Minnesota, College of Arts and Sciences,

Photos in order as they appear in story.

School of Criminal Justice, Forensic Science and Security (faculty mentor: Dr. Lisa Nored) *Sara Frances Davis of Jackson, Mississippi, College of Education and Human Sciences, School of Child and Family Sciences (faculty mentor: Dr. Mariann Taylor) *Mary M. Medlin of Monroe, Louisiana, College of Education and Human Sciences, School of Psychology (faculty mentor: Dr. Donald Sacco) *Sydney Ruzicka of Kiln, Mississippi, College of Nursing and Health

Sciences, School of Health Professions (faculty mentor: Dr. Charkarra Anderson-Lewis) *Christine Vong of Sacramento, California, College of Nursing and Health Professions, School of Speech and Hearing Sciences (faculty mentor: Dr. Steven Cloud) *Samantha Michelle Coblentz of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, College of Business and Economic Development, School of Accountancy (faculty mentor: Amber Hatten) *Song Zhang of Anhui, China, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Polymer Science and Engineering (faculty mentor: Dr. Xiaodan Gu) *Gregory Laney of Alexander, New York, College of Business and Economic Development, School of Management (faculty mentor: Dr. Joel Bolton) “The Hall of Fame Portrait Unveiling Ceremony is my favorite event of the academic year, and I love it that selection into the Hall of Fame is recognized as a prestigious honor by our students,” said Dr. Karen Coats, dean of the USM Graduate School.

“I enjoy meeting the family, friends, and faculty mentors whose beaming faces always reveal the pride they feel in the accomplishments of their loved one or mentee. I invite the campus community to visit the Hall of Fame portrait gallery in the Graduate School to share our celebration of our best and brightest graduate students.”

For information about the USM Graduate School, visit https://www. usm.edu/graduate-school/.

ENTERTAINMENT

APRIL 28, 2021

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H.E.R. continues to grow artistically with “Come Through” JAKORI BEAUCHAMP PRINTZ REPORTER ver the past several years, we have watched R&B singer H.E.R. grow more comfortable artistically, peeling off label after label to surprise fans and casual listeners alike. Now, we have reached a new level of H.E.R. where she’s exploring her sensuality.

On April 22, H.E.R. released her new single, “Come Through”, featuring legendary singer Chris Brown, teasing what’s to come in her debut, ‘Back Of My Mind’. “Come Through” is a more sensual departure from her usual songs, and an amazing departure at that.

When Brown initially announced he and H.E.R would have the “song of the summer”, I was excited. Their previous collaboration, “Come Together”, was one of my most played from his last album, so I was already pretty hyped at hearing they would work together

Photo courtesy of H.E.R’s Twitter

again. I also loved H.E.R.’s last single, “Damage”, so there was a certain expectation of greatness going into it.

Shortly after she revealed the collaboration on Instagram, H.E.R. revealed a snippet of the song in a TikTok. At first, I thought this wasn’t anything new.

H.E.R. has always had a hint of darkness surrounding her music, and this sounded similar. However, as I listened to the promoand revisited the cover art, I was a little shocked. I realized H.E.R. had this wet hair and bra on, which was something I wasn’t used to seeing her in. The sound wasn’t as dark as it was sensual. In the lead up to the release, I was wondering where she was going to take this single.

“Come Through” turned out to be going great places. The production and the vocals were amazing, and the overall essence of the song was incredible. I was thoroughly entertained and happy the song wasn’t overshadowed by its

cover art.

Chris Brown was also a great addition to the song. He wasn’t overpowering, and it wasn’t the same song and dance people complain about Chris doing. I especially enjoyed the pre-chorus and the ending of the song, especially the lines, “You already got plans for the city / Call ‘em off, could you call ‘em off for me? / You’re always going on and on / Got it all, ask me why I’ll never leave I don’t go out much”. This is a sensual song with the potential to take over the R&B charts the way “Every Kind Of Way” should’ve.

I think that H.E.R. is on the right path when redefining her artistic profile. I say this because, I’m not going to lie, I thought H.E.R. was getting very repetitive and boring. Not to say that the songs were bad or even that they sounded the same. They just started to follow the same format, and those stylings were getting stale.

When she released “Slide”, it was like a sigh of relief. Finally, we got something with some groove to it. However, she went back to her signature sound almost immediately with her next few singles. Up until “Damage” dropped, I was worried about how ‘Back Of My Mind’ would sound, because, aside from her first two EPs, I find most of her work to be hit or miss.

But that’s changed. With “Damage” and now “Come Through” out, I have a renewed sense of confidence within ‘Back Of My Mind’. I am officially ready to hear whatever she’s going to do with this album, because H.E.R. is an all-around musician. She can write and sing very well, and has earned accolades most people her age couldn’t even fathom. She is easily one of the most respected voices of the R&B new class, and I can’t wait to hear what she’ll do with her debut.

ENTERTAINMENT

APRIL 28, 2021

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Finding meaning in graduating through ‘The Graduate’

Photo courtesy of IMDB

ZAIN HASHMAT PRINTZ REPORTER hen Benjamin Braddock’s father asks what he is worrying about, the young college graduate replies with a simple, all too familiar response: “I want it to be...different.”

Mike Nichols’ ‘The Graduate’, released in 1967, deals with the existential dread of graduating college and having no idea what to do with one’s life. After years of trying to get good grades and rewards in school, Benjamin suddenly finds himself lost, his future as murky as the water tank he talks to his father in front of. How are you supposed to find meaning in life when, for years, that meaning seemed so clear?

It’s a worry that’s as relevant today as it was more than 50 years ago. Four years of college, and yet Benjamin still doesn’t seem to really know anything. Oof. As someone who’s also about to graduate, that’s a very familiar feeling.

Benjamin, played by Dustin Hoffman in a star making performance, is unemployed and living back at home. Despite his success in college, being both an award-winning scholar and athlete at an elite east coast school, none of that experience transfers into job opportunities. It’s an eternal strife: when Mr. Braddock asks, “What was the point of

all that hard work?”, Benjamin can only reply, “You got me.”

So, in an attempt to wrestle some meaning into his existence, Benjamin decides to do what all lost postgrads souls obviously end up doing: sleeping with his family friend’s mother, Mrs. Robinson. Anne Bancroft gives the middle-aged Mrs. Robinson an acidic maturity, contrasting with Benjamin’s anxious disorientation in a manner that’s at once hilarious and devastatingly bleak. With just the slightest shift of her eyes and lips, Bancroft exhibits the melancholy of a midlife crisis with acute honesty.

Mrs. Robinson is able to seduce Benjamin quite easily, allowing their trysts to give meaning and structure to his otherwise adrift existence.

Mrs. Robinson is cool, confident and stoic, things that Braddock lacks in spades. Mrs. Robinson seems to have all the answers, or at least a plan, for Benjamin, and he believes she understands him in a way no one else can.

Yet this couldn’t be farther from the truth. If Benjamin Braddock is grasping for a lifesaver in a sea of uncertainty, Mrs. Robinson is stuck on an island going nowhere. Mrs. Robinson knows that Benjamin’s curiosity is futile, and that his youthful questions will soon fade with life’s disappointments. Both Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson can’t handle the suffocating clean cut, humdrum existence of middle-class life. They

sleep together to feel alive.

But where these rendezvous are merely a means for escape for Mrs. Robinson, they become a new way of life for Benjamin. He starts to become much more confident, rebelling against his parents’s desires for grad school or getting a job. Benjamin even gets enough confidence to rebel against Mrs. Robinson, and starts meeting with her daughter, Elaine Robinson, against her wishes.

Then, in an almost unavoidable turn of events, Benjamin ends up falling in love with Elaine. Benjamin’s wants and desires soon clash with what is expected, and even ordered, of him. After months being adrift, Benjamin has finally found a sense of direction for his life. He finally has a plan and a goal, and becomes restless in his quest to follow Elaine to Berkley and marry her.

Mike Nichol’s direction becomes electrifying here. His widescreen compositions are dazzling in construction, emphasizing the endless blur of the future. Nichols uses frame and space in a starkly modern fashion throughout the movie.

Yet the formal compositions are still juxtaposed with quick cuts and fragmented editing to add onto Benjamin’s frantic search for some sort of purpose.

Braddock’s mad dash to marry Elaine at the end of the film is amplified by the editing, in that it is both incredibly comical and completely urgent. Braddock is so

young, a mere 21 by the end of the film. But like many others his age -- this writer included -- he feels as if he is running out of time to make something of his life.

‘The Graduate’ constantly questions how people live their lives, and the actions they may or may not take to change that. For many, Mrs. Robinson perfectly showcases an astute melancholy of living a life that didn’t go her way. There’s regret in her eyes, and Benjamin sees that.

Maybe his actions are an attempt to get as far away from that future as possible.

What’s ironic is that, for anyone that’s seen the film or knows its ending, Benjamin and Elaine’s ultimate answer for ‘The Graduate’s’ questions might lead them back down the same path they were in before.

With this, Nichols might be saying that, no matter how much we think we might know, everyone ends up a little lost in life. As someone who’s about to be in the same place Benjamin Braddock was in, to hear that it’s okay to not have an answer for what’s next might be the guidance I need to go forward.

For everyone graduating in the next week or so, I hope you embrace the unpredictability of the future. I definitely will. If ‘The Graduate’ has taught me anything, it’s that we’re all riding the bus towards uncertainty together. I can’t wait to see where we get off.

SPORTS

APRIL 28, 2021

Southern Miss wins another series, but misses opportunity to take over division CHARLIE LUTTRELL SPORTS EDITOR Photos by Charlie Luttrell | Printz outhern Miss (26-13, 13-6 Conference USA) earned the series win with three victories against Western Kentucky University (WKU), but failed to move into the top spot in the C-USA West division when the Hilltoppers took the last game of the series.

Game One Southern Miss survived a late-inning battle with Western Kentucky to take the first game of the series 6-5.

The Golden Eagles got onto the scoreboard first after freshman Dustin Dickerson hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning. Though Southern Miss led throughout seven innings, WKU took the lead with four runs in the eighth inning, capitalized by a threerun homer from pinch hitter Ty Crittenberger that gave the Hilltoppers a 5-4 lead.

However, Southern Miss responded with a productive inning of their own, as freshman Reed Trimble hit an RBI double to tie the game. Southern Miss then took back the lead as it scored on a fielding error.

“It hurt when they got that four spot but we never put our heads down,” junior Gabe Montenegro said. “We got to the dugout and we just tried to get that first base runner in and keep the momentum in our favor.”

Trimble made a diving catch to end the game, which prevented WKU’s runners on the corners from scoring.

“That was a phenomenal catch and probably could be a game saver for sure if we didn’t do anything there in the bottom half, but it was a tremendous athletic play on his part,” Head Coach Scott Berry said.

Senior Hunter Stanley led the way for Southern Miss, recording seven strikeouts and allowing five hits and three runs through 7.2 innings.

“He’s Mr. Consistent,” Berry said. “Once again, he’s a lead dog that goes out there on Friday nights for us and sets the tone for the rest of the series.”

Stanley got off to a strong start and retired the first nine of ten batters he faced. He held the Hilltoppers scoreless until WKU hit a solo home run in the sixth inning. But the Golden Eagles continued to be productive from the bottom of the order, as sophomore Blake Johnson hit an RBI double in the sixth. All

four of the last batters each earned one hit in the order they went to bat.

“We’ve got to have that,” Berry said. “You want balance in your lineup. You’ve always got a bunch of top hitters at the top, but you have to have those guys at the bottom contribute and, more importantly not only get RBIs, but get on base for those guys when that lineup turns over that they can drive those kids in, too.”

Sophomore Ryan Och took the mound for Southern Miss in the seventh inning but struggled, allowing two runs and a hit with two errors on 19 pitches. In the end, sophomore Garrett Ramsey took the mound in the final frame and earned his ninth save of the season.

“I know Ryan didn’t have his best stuff, but he’s been awesome for us all year and that’s going to happen sometimes -- he’s human,” Hunter Stanley said.

“I look forward to the next time he gets out there.”

Game Two Southern Miss won the second game in another close finish with the same 6-5 score.

Even though WKU finished with a higher total of 11 hits, Southern Miss’s consecutive home runs in the fifth inning proved to be crucial in beating the Hilltoppers.

Sophomore Charlie Fischer hit a two-run homer in the fifth, with sophomore Christopher Sargent following with a solo home run of his own to push ahead 6-3. Prior to the game, WKU’s pitcher Sean Bergeron had only allowed one home run during the season.

“We stayed right in the middle of the ring and exchanged blows with them just like we have in the past three to four weeks. This young team has really grown up and knows how to compete,” Berry said.

“Even when the game was tied 3-3, we didn’t feel we were out of it and we were able to manufacture and produce run score innings [...] it was a gritty win that WKU fought hard for.”

The Hilltoppers added two runs, but freshman pitcher Hurston Waldrep closed out the game and earned the save.

Though this is only his second game back after an injury benched him through five games, Fischer showed no signs of slowing down, and led the team with two hits and three RBIs. “It felt great to be back in the lineup,” Fischer said about returning to action. “When I’m playing or not, it’s always fun to be around these guys and playing baseball. [In Game One], I was a little sped up and I hadn’t seen a lot of pitching, but I calmed

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myself down and felt like I got back in the swing of things.”

Sargent described how the team feels to have Fischer back in the lineup.

“Charlie’s been there since day one and he’s been solid all the way through,” Sargent said. “It was tough to see him go down, but knowing that he’s coming back stronger than ever, it’s been great. We love it.”

Senior Walker Powell started the game for Southern Miss and threw for five innings. He struck out four batters, allowing eight hits and three runs.

Powell is set to break his career-high of strikeouts in a single season at a record pace. Through nine appearances, Powell has logged 52 strikeouts much faster than his 2019 career-high of 73 strikeouts through 16 games.

Game Three Southern Miss rode an early advantage and a complete game from freshman pitcher Ben Ethridge to beat WKU 3-0 in the second game of the doubleheader.

Southern Miss got off to a strong start in the first inning by scoring three runs. Sargent got the team on the scoreboard first with an RBI double, which was followed by an unearned run from a throwing error and an RBI single from sophomore Danny Lynch.

Southern Miss’s early start marked the third time the team scored first in the series, which Berry said has been an important improvement throughout the season. It is even more important now as the team continues to improve at-bat.

“If we can get a lead, then we certainly have a chance to continue to build on it because our guys [pitchers] have the ability to have those shutdown innings and allow us to extend it,” Berry said. “We’ve seen earlier in the season when we were much younger and untested that when we fell behind, we had a tough time getting back in it, but our guys have really improved at the plate offensively.”

Southern Miss did not score for the remainder of the game, but the lead was enough, as Ethridge held Western Kentucky scoreless throughout the entire game. Ethridge allowed only three hits and recorded his second double-digit strikeout performance of the season with 11 strikeouts.

Sargent described how Ethridge’s performance helped the team in their second game of the doubleheader.

“It’s just a cruise to the game, makes it fun and makes it easy for us. He throws strikes, fills it up and [does] a heck of a job,” Sargent said.

Ethridge allowed two consecutive hits in the third inning, but retired the side in order for the final four innings.

“I felt like in the fifth inning there was a gear that he [Ethridge] changed to and he really started getting stronger and getting swing and misses,” Berry said. “His sliders, all of a sudden, became a real plus

pitch for him, and they had no answer for it.”

After going hitless in the first game, Montenegro hit a leadoff double to start the game and recorded another double in the second. The Golden Eagles also had multi-hit performances from Sargent and Lynch as the team notched a total of eight hits.

Game Four However, Southern Miss could not earn the series sweep, as the Hilltoppers dominated throughout the last game and won 9-4.

While Southern Miss once again held the early lead, the Hilltoppers caught up with a five-run inning in the sixth that the Golden Eagles simply could not come back from.

“I don’t feel that we brought the energy that we were bringing to the rest of the games,” Sargent said. “We were dragging around and got out a little too late.”

Overall, the Hilltoppers bested the Golden Eagles at-bat, notching 12 hits compared to Southern Miss’s four hits. This may have been due to Trimble’s absence, as he suffered from a swollen knee after being hit by a pitch in the third game.

“We didn’t handle it [his absence] very well and I think it hurt us both offensively and defensively,” Berry said.

Sophomore Drew Boyd earned the start for the Golden Eagles, but was pulled out in the fifth inning after allowing a run. Boyd finished the game with six strikeouts, five hits and three runs allowed.

After Boyd, the Golden Eagles rotated five other pitchers, who each allowed runs except sophomore Aubrey Gillentine, who threw 17 pitches in the ninth.

“We just didn’t get the stops that we needed. [...]

We didn’t perform well really in any phase,” Berry said.

Southern Miss scored two runs on loaded bases in the second inning as Lynch ran home on a hit-bypitch and Dickerson hit an RBI single. However, the Hilltoppers tied the game 2-2 in the third inning by driving in two runs from a single.

Sargent hit his eighth home run of the season with a solo shot in the third inning. But the Golden Eagles did not get a hit again until the seventh inning, only responding to the Hilltoppers’ scoring onslaught with a run in the sixth inning.

The Golden Eagles got two walks in the eighth inning with a chance to narrow the lead, but they were then retired by Western Kentucky. Berry said that the team let its focus down after earning the series win, but was proud of how the team played overall during the weekend.

“If you take it game by game and you’re committed to the approach and focus, then you should perform better than we did tonight, but I am proud that we won the series of moving forward,” Berry said.

Southern Miss will play at Rice next weekend in a four-game series.