NORFOLK, Va. — Ben Higdon doubled into right field to score the game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning, lifting No. 8 Southern Miss to an 8-7 victory over Old Dominion in Sun Belt Conference play Saturday at the Ellmer Family Baseball Complex.
The Golden Eagles (23-9, 7-5 Sun Belt) secured their third straight league series win. Old Dominion fell to 14-17 overall and 4-8 in the conference.
Seth Smith and Kyle Morrison led the team’s 16-hit attack with three hits each. Matthew Russo, Drew Barrett and Higdon added two hits apiece.
With the score tied at 7-7 in the ninth, Morrison singled to start the inning. After two flyouts, Barrett drew a walk. Higdon then doubled to right field, bringing in the winning run off reliever Kellen Davis, who allowed two runs on four hits in relief and took the loss, falling to 0-1.
Southern Miss opened the scoring in the third inning, tallying four runs. Tucker Stockman homered to left for his third of the year. Morrison and Russo drove in runs with singles, and Drew Barrett added a run-scoring single to cap the inning.
Old Dominion responded in the bottom of the frame, with Scott Young doubling to lead off. After a groundout, Young scored on a wild pitch by Thomas Crabtree. The Monarchs added two more runs in the fifth, with Russo driving in a run with a single and Barrett scoring on a double play.
The Monarchs rallied in the seventh, scoring six runs to take a 7-6 lead. They loaded the bases with a single and walk, then scored on a single by Will Johnson, a two-run single from TJ Aiken, and a bases-clearing double from Tyler Zedalis.
Southern Miss responded in the eighth with a run to tie the game. Barrett led off with a single, advanced on a sacrifice and walk, then scored on Seth Smith’s single up the middle. Kros Sivley pitched two scoreless innings to earn his fifth win of the season, allowing no runs on two hits with two strikeouts.
The Golden Eagles will host New Orleans on Tuesday at Pete Taylor Park, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.
