HATTIESBURG, Miss. — No. 11 Southern Mississippi scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat Appalachian State 6-5 Friday night at Pete Taylor Park. The Golden Eagles improved to 20-6 overall and 4-3 in Sun Belt Conference play, extending their winning streak over the Mountaineers to six games.
Trailing 4-2 in the eighth, Southern Miss’s Matthew Russo singled to open the inning. Drey Barrett drew a walk, and Ben Higdon doubled to left-center to score Russo. Tucker Stockman was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Appalachian State then turned to reliever Reyn Watson, who got Seth Smith to hit a grounder to second. A mishandled play allowed a run to score and kept the bases loaded.
Pinch hitter Caleb Stelly then lined a sacrifice fly to right, bringing in another run. Joey Urban followed with a ground ball that was misplayed, allowing the go-ahead run to score. Camden Clark closed the game with a scoreless ninth, earning his fifth save of the season.
Starting pitcher Grayden Harris allowed five runs, three earned, over 5 1/3 innings. Colby Allen earned the win in relief, improving to 2-1 after surrendering just one hit over 2 2/3 innings. Appalachian State fell to 12-12 overall and 2-5 in the conference, with Ethan Wilson taking the loss after allowing four runs in relief.
The Mountaineers jumped ahead with three runs in the third inning, highlighted by Steven Smith’s two-run double. They added two more in the sixth, capitalizing on errors. Ethan Puig and Colton Denton drove in those runs, but Appalachian State couldn’t hold onto the lead in the late innings.
The series continues Saturday with a 2 p.m. game, which will feature Military Appreciation Day and uniforms inspired by Camp Shelby.
