First of all, Coach Berry didn't know anything on Gabe Montenegro beyond a deep gash above his right eye. He said he assumes stitches will be needed at minimum.
Gibson came up and apologized to Coach Berry, who just said it's an unfortunate part of the game and there was absolutely no intent to hit Gabe.
Berry on Cade Gibson's start: "Tip your hat to their starter. He did a great job. In the first inning we took the fastball away from him and every inning after that he pitched backwards - really had his offspeed. Mixed it well with the changeup and we never adjusted."
"Pitching wise, Riggs grinded it out. Left one pitch up and Netterville leaves the yard - big swing for them. I think the key with us was we've been swinging it really well. Then we had 10 strikeouts on the day. Left 8 runners on and could never get anything going outside of the first inning."
One of the killers today for Southern Miss, as it has been at several points, was rally-killing double play balls. Coach Berry said he felt like they left some runs on the board in the 1st and one that ended a great chance to score with runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out in the 8th to end the inning.
Isaiah Rhodes continues to be really, really good and is solidifying his spot in the back end of the bullpen. Ethridge got himself into some trouble but worked out of it in the 9th. Both drew praise from Berry. This pitching staff is almost always going to give Southern Miss a chance to win ballgames. The X factor is the offense which wasn't enough today.
Coach Berry also talked about the element of speed that Brady Faust brings to the table and feels confident with him in center. Faust was one of the most consistent bats in the offseason so the staff feels like they have a competitive replacement in CF while Gabe is out.
Blake Johnson being back is a big boost. The biggest factor is getting Rodrigo off his feet and giving you multiple options behind the plate. Berry mentioned that Johnson's return was well ahead of schedule. If you can get his bat back to where it was to start the year, the lineup is much better particularly with another righty in the lineup to offer some balance.
Berry: "They have the momentum now. We had it yesterday and they came in and took it back. We gotta get ready to go and win the series tomorrow."