Despite allowing five runs in the ninth inning, Southern Miss upset No. 14 Alabama 9-7 in Hattiesburg during Tuesday’s midweek matchup.
The Golden Eagles (11-6) beat the Crimson Tide (15-2) for the fourth straight time when hosting and the seventh out of the last 10 times.
How it happened
Southern Miss opened the game with three first-inning runs. With a runner at first and two outs, outfielders Billy Butler and Carson Paetow were walked before first baseman Davis Gillespie doubled to clear the bases and give the Golden Eagles a 3-0 advantage.
A sacrifice fly by Slade Wilks in the second gave the Golden Eagles a 4-0 lead followed by the designated hitter’s solo shot in the fifth, his fourth of the year.
After two more runs in the sixth, one on an RBI single from centerfielder Dalton McIntyre and the other off a pitcher’s bad pickoff throw to first. Another two-run home run, this one in the seventh by Paetow, completed Southern Miss’s scoring.
Alabama trailed for most of the game and managed leadoff home runs from Bryce Eblin and Evan Sleight, to open the third and sixth innings, before exploding for five runs in the ninth. The Crimson Tide followed with two singles and a strikeout to load the bases. Sleight then tripled down the line to cut the gap to 9-5.
Kade Snell followed with a two-run homer to make it 9-7 before Southern Miss reliver Kros Sivley came in to get a pair of outs to end the game and earn his first save of the year.
The numbers never lie
Colby Allen (2-0) earned the victory in relief, allowing one run on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts over 3.1 innings of work.
Golden Eagle pitching collected 12 strikeouts in the game, marking the 12th double-digit strikeout contest in 2024.
McIntyre led Southern Miss with three hits and Gillespie had three RBIs along with Wilks, Paetow, and shortstop Ozzie Pratt each scoring two runs.
Next Up
Southern Miss now sets its sights on Sun Belt Conference play as they welcome Marshall for a three-game weekend series. First pitch for game one is set for Friday at 6 p.m.
The set opens Friday at 6 p.m.
