Despite a lengthy rain delay in Montgomery, the Southern Miss baseball team rallied to beat Georgia State, 7-6, in its Sun Belt Tournament opener on Wednesday night.
The No. 8 nationally ranked Golden Eagles trailed 4-2 going into the fifth inning but scored at least one run in their final four frames to avoid being upset. It was the 10th consecutive win for Southern Miss (41-14), breaking a three-game winning streak held by Georgia State (27-29).
How it happened
The tournament’s top seed, Southern Miss, started the game with a two-run single from Matthew Russo. The early lead did not last, though, as 9-seed Georgia State worked two from Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year Grayden Harris, tying the game at 2-2 going into the second inning.
Lightning in the third inning forced the umpires to call for a delay, one that lasted nearly two and a half hours.
When play resumed, Georgia State struck first. Panther center fielder John Beverley hit a single that knocked in two runs and extended the team’s lead to 4-2.
Southern Miss chipped away at the lead in the bottom of the fifth, getting one on the board courtesy of Kyle Morrison solo shot.
In the bottom of the sixth, Southern Miss tied it on a Tucker Stockman double down the right field line. The hit was tight enough to score Ben Higdon from first base.
The Golden Eagles regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh when Russo singled to right field, scoring Morrison. Some cushion was provided on a Higdon RBI single up the middle, making the score 6-4.
Georgia State put one on the board in the top of the eighth before Russo canceled it out on an RBI groundout – his fourth RBI of the night. The Panthers again brough the score within one on an Adam Haber RBI double in the ninth, but Southern Miss pitcher Colby Allen was able to close it out after that. The final score was 7-6.
Numbers never lie
As a team, Southern Miss had six hits and drew eight walks – six of which were batters hit. On the flip side, the Golden Eagles pitching staff walked three but allowed an atypical 13 hits.
Fortunately for Southern Miss, the team took advantage of runners on base. Russo’s final RBI of the night was a go-ahead for the second time in his last three games. He was the only Golden Eagle to have more than one hit.
On the bump, Harris allowed two runs in three innings. Josh Och allowed the same number but in two innings, and Kros Sivley allowed none in 1.2 innings. Starter-turned-reliefer Colby Allen (6-1) pitched the final 2.1 innings, allowing two earned runs while earning the win.
Next up
Due to the rain delay, the Sun Belt called off the game between 4-seed Troy and 5-seed South Alabama that was scheduled to be played Wednesday night after the Southern Miss game. Troy and South Alabama will play Thursday at 9 a.m. with the winner advancing to play the Golden Eagles on Friday at 11 a.m.
The game will air on ESPN+.