Southern Miss rallies with 10-run third inning to beat South Alabama 16-7

Southern Miss used a 10-run third inning to power past South Alabama with a 16-7 win Saturday at Eddie Stanky Field in Mobile, Alabama. The Golden Eagles (31-12, 13-7 Sun Belt) posted season highs in runs and hits, including four home runs, two of which came during the big third inning.

The third-inning surge was the highest scoring inning for Southern Miss in two seasons and marked their sixth consecutive win. The team’s 16 hits included four homers, with Matthew Russo hitting a grand slam in the third. Russo’s effort tied his career best with five RBIs, and Lawson Odom blasted his first homer of the season in the same frame.

Down 5-3 entering the third, Southern Miss’s first nine batters reached base before scoring 10 runs. Ben Higdon started the rally with a two-run single, followed by Tucker Stockman’s three-run homer to center. Kyle Morrison added an RBI on a misplayed fly ball, and Russo’s grand slam capped the inning’s scoring.

Leading 13-5, the Golden Eagles added two runs in the sixth, including a double play from Stockman and a solo homer by Odom, his first in nearly 100 at-bats this season. Russo also drove in his fifth run in the ninth, tying his career high. South Alabama responded with solo runs in the sixth and ninth, including a home run from Blake Guerin, his 14th of the year.

South Alabama starter Ryland Bozenhard struggled early, allowing three runs in the first inning. The Jaguars responded with four runs in their half of the first, highlighted by Marc Stephens’ double that cleared the bases. Bozenhard lasted two innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits, while Southern Miss’s Kros Sivley pitched effectively in relief, earning his fourth win of the season.

The final game of the series is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m., with Southern Miss seeking its second straight league sweep.

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