HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Northwestern State did what it planned on doing Sunday. It came out aggressively against Southern Miss, stealing bases and pressuring the Golden Eagles pitching staff.
 
What it could not do was deliver a knockout blow early in the game, and it could not slow Southern Miss' power-packed lineup as the Golden Eagles completed a three-game sweep with an 8-5 win at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.
 
"I thought we did a good job pressuring them," fourth-year head coach Lane Burroughs said. "Our plan coming in was to be aggressive. We were able to steal some bases, run the bases well. I feel like our freshmen pitchers got exposed some this weekend. We ran into a buzz-saw. This is a regional team."
 
The Golden Eagles (7-0) looked that way offensively, tallying double-figure hits in all three games, including 11 in Sunday's series finale.
 
Taylor Braley led the way with a 3-for-5 game that included a fifth-inning solo home run that put Southern Miss ahead to stay.
 
Braley's blast came an inning after the Demons (3-4) took their second one-run lead of the game off Golden Eagles starter Kirk McCarty (1-0), who walked four in 5 2-3 innings but limited the damage by allowing just three hits.
 
Nick Heath played heavily into producing the first two Demons runs of the finale. Heath laid down a bunt single to start the second and stole second, advancing to third on a throwing error by USM catcher Chuckie Robinson.
 
Heath then scored on a Matthew Alford sac fly to shortstop. In the fourth inning, Heath drew a leadoff walk and stole second before scoring on Alford's RBI single. Alford finished the day 2-for-2 and tied a career high with three RBIs.
 
"I'm very proud of our hitters and how they competed throughout the weekend," Burroughs said. "I think we're getting better there. We moved some guys around. Spencer Goodwin hasn't played all year, and we put him at a position he hadn't been playing and he produces. He's going to keep playing. We were able to pressure them today."
 
Each time the Demons took the lead, the Golden Eagles answered by taking advantage of Northwestern State miscues.
 
In the second, it was an error when Chase Hymel (1-1) had picked off a runner at first base. In the fourth, Storme Cooper followed a Hymel wild pitch with a two-out RBI single to tie the game at 2.
 
"They're as good a hitting team one through nine as I've seen in a long time," Burroughs said. "They got a lot of two-out hits. That's something we talk about. They're an old team. They have a lot of guys who have been here and have a lot of at-bats under their belt. They got some big two-out hits. First time we've played on dirt and grass and I thought some balls got through that, on our turf, we probably get to and make the play. If you want to be elite and play in regionals, you have to come into environments like this and get it done."
 
After a three-run Southern Miss sixth inning, Goodwin started an NSU comeback with a solo home run to lead off the seventh.
 
Once again, the Golden Eagles had an answer in the form of a two-run double by Nick Dawson, USM's senior shortstop and No. 9 hitter.
 
The Demons scored twice in the eighth inning, cutting the lead to 8-5 but could not come any closer against Golden Eagles closer Cody Livingston, who tossed a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts.
 
In addition to Alford, Heath had a pair of hits, including an RBI double in the two-run eighth. Dawson joined Braley in the USM three-hit club while Daniel Keating went 2-for-3 and scored three times.
 
The Demons continue their nine-game road trip this weekend when they travel to Tucson, Ariz., to play four games in the Arizona Wildcat Classic. First pitch for the tournament opener against Arizona is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Hi Corbett Field.
 NSU       010 100 120 – 5 8 1
USM      010 113 20x – 8 11 1
W – Kirk McCarty (1-0). L – Chase Hymel (1-1). S – Cody Livingston (1). 2B – NSU, Nick Heath. USM, Nick Dawson 2. HR – NSU, Spencer Goodwin (1). USM, Taylor Braley (5). Highlights: NSU, Heath 2-3, 2 SB, RBI; Matthew Alford 2-2, 3 RBIs. USM, Braley 3-5, HR, 2 RBIs; Daniel Keating 2-3; Dawson 3-3, 2 2Bs, 3 RBIs.
Records: Northwestern State 3-4, Southern Miss 7-0.