HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss scored four runs in the first inning and used a 99-pitch complete-game shutout from senior right-hander Scott Copeland to earn a 6-0 win over the Missouri State baseball team (4-9) Saturday afternoon at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss.

    The Golden Eagles (9-4) managed to hit just one ball out of the infield in the first inning on the way to landing the early knockout blow. The inning started with Pat Doyle (1-3) striking out leadoff man Marc Bourgeois on a ball in the dirt, but Luke Voit’s throw to first to complete the out sailed wide to allow the USM hitter to reach.

    A single and a walk followed to load the bases with nobody out, and the Golden Eagles pushed runs across on an infield chopper over the mound, a fielder’s choice that was nearly a double play, a ground out and a ground ball up the middle that second baseman Kevin Medrano stopped but was unable make the throw across his body to first in time.

     The Golden Eagles added runs with sacrifice flies from Anthony Doss in the fifth and Adam Doleac in the seventh to extend their lead to 6-0.

    Doyle (1-3) was saddled with the loss but deserved better after allowing three earned runs and striking out four in seven innings of work. Tyler Bean threw a scoreless eighth for the Bears.

    Missouri State had only three baserunners in the game with singles from Medrano, Christian Overstreet and Barrett Noirfalise. Noirfalise singled and was sacrificed to second in sixth as the lone Bear to reach second base.

    The series concludes at 1 p.m. Sunday.