Southern Miss Edges Ole Miss in Late-Inning Thriller in Hattiesburg

A tightly contested midweek battle between No. 7 Southern Miss and Ole Miss came down to the final swing Tuesday night, with the Golden Eagles delivering the decisive blow in the bottom of the ninth to claim a 2–1 victory.

After a night dominated by pitching, Southern Miss finally broke through when Tucker Stockman lined a two-out single into the gap in right-center field. The hit allowed William Tonsmiere to race home from second base, ending the game and sending the home crowd into celebration.

The Rebels had been on the verge of escaping the inning. Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco turned to closer Landon Koenig with two runners aboard after reliever JP Robertson recorded a flyout and a strikeout. But with two outs and the winning run in scoring position, Stockman delivered the decisive hit.

For much of the evening, offense was hard to come by for either team.

Both clubs managed just one run through the first eight innings, each coming courtesy of solo home runs in the fifth. Ole Miss struck first when right fielder Tristan Bissetta launched a ball over the wall in center field to give the Rebels a brief advantage. Southern Miss answered moments later when second baseman Kyle Morrison responded with a home run of his own to even the score at 1–1.

From there, the contest settled into a pitcher’s duel.

Multiple arms took the mound for both programs as each coaching staff mixed and matched throughout the night. Southern Miss ultimately used five pitchers, while Ole Miss countered with six in an effort to keep the Golden Eagles off the scoreboard.

Camden Clark earned the win for Southern Miss, improving to 3–0 after retiring the only two batters he faced in the top half of the ninth inning. Robertson was charged with the loss for Ole Miss after allowing the single that plated the winning run.

At the plate, Stockman stood out as the only Golden Eagle to record more than one hit, finishing with two — including the game winner. Southern Miss totaled six hits on the night.

Ole Miss struggled to generate offense, finishing with just three hits while striking out nine times.

The victory adds to an impressive early-season run for Southern Miss, which also knocked off top-five Mississippi State in Hattiesburg just a week earlier. For now, the Golden Eagles hold the upper hand in the Magnolia State’s early baseball bragging rights.

Next Up

Ole Miss, 15–3 on the season, faces an even steeper challenge as the Rebels head to Austin for their SEC-opening series against No. 2 Texas. Game one of that matchup is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Feature image credit: Ashley Holford