By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Arkansas State took two out of three games from nationally-ranked Southern Miss this weekend to take the Sun belt Conference series.
And a former Gulfport High product had a hand in both wins for the Red Wolves.
Arkansas State senior pitcher Cooper Garrison closed out both wins, including Sunday afternoon’s 5-2 decision. The right-hander got the final four outs for the Red Wolves to earn his third save of the season.

The Red Wolves took advantage of two first-inning Southern Miss errors and added a pair of solo homers in the eighth to defeat the No. 7 Golden Eagles 5-2 at Tomlinson Stadium in Jonesboro, Ark., on the ASU campus.
Southern Miss (16-4 overall, 1-2 Sun Belt) dropped its first league series since losing two of three at Marshall last April. ASU improved to 15-6, 2-1, in the conference opening series for both teams.
Yet another former “Southern Six” prep product in McCarty English of Ocean Springs suffered the loss, after the Red Wolves jumped out early with three runs in the bottom of the first frame. However, all three runs were unearned after English got a ground ball to short that initially appeared to end the inning, but it was misplayed by the USM infield and resulted in a three spot for ASU after yet another USM error.

English (1-1) suffered the loss by allowing three unearned runs on four this with two walks and three strikeouts to suffer the defeat.
In Friday’s game, Garrison also came in to finish out the win in the ninth inning.

Sunday’s appearance was his 11th of the season, including a four nning stint in a 12-4 upset of nationally-ranked Arkansas in which he struck out three and allowed just two hits late last month. He is 1-1 with three saves, with that win coming two weeks ago in a 7-2 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in which he worked the middle three innings.

Last season, in his first at ASU after transferring from East Mississippi Community College, Garrison made second-most appearances by an A-State pitcher at 26, including one start, and posted a 3-2 record and two saves with a 4.02 ERA over 31 1/3 innings He sruck out 29 batters and limited opposing hitters to a .248 clip at the plate. He earned first save against South Alabama on April 13, and he made the longest start of season on May 16 at Louisiana, striking out a season-high seven batters while limiting the opposition to three hits over five innings in a 13-3 victory.

Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles now set their sights on Nicholls, who they will play Tuesday at Keesler Federal Ballpark in Biloxi. Game time is set for 6 p.m.

Tickets are now available through the Shuckers Box Office at Keesler Federal Park and Ticketmaster.

“The Golden Eagles are one of the top programs with great history and some of the best fans in the area,” Shuckers General Manager Hunter Reed said. “We’re thrilled to partner with Hancock Whitney for a game featuring two terrific teams, including a talented Nicholls team. We’re excited to welcome both teams back for another year and continue our great partnership with Coach Ostrander and the Southern Miss program.”

Southern Miss holds an 8-3-1 record against Nicholls, including a 5-3 record in the state of Mississippi. Six of the last seven matchups between the two teams, dating back to 2015, have been played at a neutral site.