HATTIESBURG, Miss. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears made it three consecutive victories on Friday night with a 6-3 victory over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Pete Taylor Park.

Junior Gavin Stone won his first game of the season with 6.2 innings of one-run baseball and senior Conner Williams nailed down his third save in as many tries with a strikeout to end the game. UCA junior outfielder Conner Emmet led the charge offensively, going 3 for 5 with three runs scored, including a pair of doubles. Junior infielder Benny Ayala was 2 for 5 with three runs batted in, including a two-run single in the third that doubled UCA's early lead to 4-0.

UCA (3-2) was up 6-0 in the middle of the seventh inning before USM (4-1) scored a single run in the bottom of the inning, then added two more in the ninth on four straight two-out singles. Williams came in for Mark Moyer and struck out Austen Izzio on four pitches to close it out. Stone (8), Moyer (3) and Williams (1) combined to strike out 12 Golden Eagles.

The Bears took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first against USM starter Gabe Shepard. Junior Rylan Meek led off with a walk and advanced to second on a throwing error and to third on a wild pitch. Emmet than laced a two-out double to center field, followed by an RBI single to right by junior second baseman Benny Ayala.

UCA got two more in the third when Beau Orlando reached on a fielder's choice, moved to third on Emmet's RBI double to center. Both runners came in on Ayala's two-run single up the middle for a 4-0 advantage.

An RBI single up the middle by senior catcher Nathaniel Sagdahl scored Ayala in the fifth for a 5-0 lead, and senior center fielder Josh Ragan doubled down the left-field line in the seventh to bring in Emmett. The Golden Eagles finally got a run in the bottom of the seventh off Stone with a leadoff home run by third baseman Danny Lynch.

The Bears and Golden Eagles will play Game 2 at 2 p.m. Saturday, with the series finale set for 1 p.m. Sunday.