SAN MARCOS, Texas – The series opener against 23rd-ranked Southern Miss went against Texas State's favor Friday night. The Golden Eagles walked out of Bobcat Ballpark with a 5-2 victory.

With the result, the Bobcats are now 16-17 overall and 6-7 in the Sun Belt Conference while USM is 23-11 on the season and 9-4 in league play.

Picking up the win on the mound was JB Middleton (6-1) after he threw seven scoreless innings with six strikeouts while giving up five hits and walking three. Alex Valentin (4-3) suffered the loss as he allowed five runs on seven hits and struck out four.

Josh Glaser tossed two scoreless frames while both Dylan Kerbow and Braylen Timmins threw a shutout inning apiece out of the bullpen.

At the dish, Samson Pugh reached base three times in the contest. He was 2-for-3 and drew one walk. Zachary Gingrich had TXST's lone extra-base hit of the game when he hit a triple. Scoring a run apiece was Chase Mora and Justin Vossos while Alan Shibley drove in a run.

The Golden Eagles struck first with a run in the first thanks to Nick Monistere's solo home run. They would go on to add two runs in the third and one run in both the fourth and fifth frames.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Bobcats had a chance to cut into the deficit. Ian Collier hit a single back up the middle and both Rashawn Galloway and Pugh were issued free passes to load the bases. However, a strikeout for the third out left the bases juiced.

Gingrich tripled with one out in the sixth. The freshman had a chance to score when Galloway hit a grounder to the second baseman but he was thrown out at the plate.

The bottom of the ninth began with Austin Eaton drawing a free pass and then be lifted for Vossos as a pinch runner. Pugh followed by sending a 0-2 pitch to centerfield for a single and Mora reached base on a fielding error by his third base counterpart to load the bases.

Ryne Farber grounded out to the first baseman that allowed Vossos to score to put Texas State on the scoreboard. A short chopper off the bat of Dawson Park saw the pitcher flip the ball and catcher tag out Pugh at the plate. Shibley drove in the final run of the game with a single through the right side to make it a 5-2 contest.

Game two of the series is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. first pitch on Saturday.

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