HATTIESBURG — Southern Miss showed Friday that it’s hard to beat the one-two punch of home runs and lockdown pitching.

Christopher Sargent and Slade Wilks both hit solo home runs, and Tanner Hall had 10 strikeouts on 5 1/3 scoreless innings as Southern Miss beat Georgia Southern 4-3 in the opener of a three-game series Friday at Pete Taylor Park.

The Golden Eagles (13-8, 2-2 Sun Belt Conference) snapped a three-game losing streak.

Sargent homered in the second inning, and singled and scored a run in the fourth. Wilks hit his solo home run in the fourth inning and added an RBI single in the fifth to put the Golden Eagles ahead 4-0.

Hall scattered four hits and three walks in his 5 1/3 innings on the mound, but did not allow a run. He left the game after rain delayed the action for nearly an hour in the sixth inning.

Kros Sivley worked the last 3 2/3 innings and gave up three runs, but still earned his third save of the season. He worked out of a bases loaded jam with a double play ball when the game resumed following the rain delay.

Kyler Hultgren hit a two-run home run for Georgia Southern (11-11, 3-1) in the ninth inning.

The teams will complete their series Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. The series finale was moved to Saturday because of a forecast for rain all day Sunday.