AP Sports Preview

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (Interstat) — The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles look to complete a series sweep Saturday when they host Georgia Southern in a Sun Belt Conference matchup at Pete Taylor Park.

First pitch is scheduled for the afternoon, with the game also slated for an evening start in a rare split doubleheader due to earlier weather delays. The forecast calls for 87-degree temperatures and cloudy skies.

Southern Mississippi enters with a 39-14 overall record after a dominating 10-1 victory over Georgia Southern on Friday. The Golden Eagles have won 10 of their last 11 games and are 17-3 at home this season.

Georgia Southern (16-39) has lost five straight and 12 of its last 13. The Eagles were outscored 24-4 in the first two games of this series, including a 14-3 mercy-rule loss Thursday.

Players to watch

Georgia Southern’s Sean White has been a bright spot. The first baseman went 3-for-4 with a home run and an RBI in Friday’s loss, and is hitting .333 over his last six games with two homers and six RBIs.

Southern Mississippi will counter with right-hander Camden Clark, who is coming off a dominant start Friday — 5 innings, 5 hits, 1 earned run, 9 strikeouts. Clark has allowed just two earned runs over his last 12 innings with 18 strikeouts. He also threw 7 shutout innings with 15 strikeouts against Louisiana-Monroe on May 2.

Series history

The Golden Eagles have taken the first two games of this weekend set. Friday’s loss dropped Georgia Southern to 1-9 in its last 10 road games.

Southern Mississippi’s offense has been relentless, scoring 10 or more runs in three of its last four games. The Golden Eagles have outscored opponents 37-13 during that stretch.

Projection

Interstate’s game simulator projects a 7-3 win for Southern Mississippi, and the ELO system gives the Golden Eagles an 80.9% probability of victory.

Georgia Southern will need a strong start from its pitching staff after allowing 24 runs on 30 hits in the series. The Eagles’ bullpen has an ERA over 8.00 in conference play.

Southern Mississippi, meanwhile, looks to extend its winning streak to six games and tighten its grip on the Sun Belt standings.

The game will be the finale of the three-game series.