Southern Miss opened the Sun Belt Baseball Championship with a 7-6 win over Georgia State on May 21, led by Matthew Russo’s four runs batted in and Colby Allen’s relief pitching at DABOS Park. The Golden Eagles, ranked No. 8 and top-seeded, improved their record to 41-14 and extended their streak of winning at least one game in each of the last 40 conference tournaments they have played.
The victory matters as it advances Southern Miss further into the tournament and continues their strong postseason tradition. The team has now won its last ten games.
Southern Miss rallied from a 4-2 deficit by scoring in each of their final four at bats. Russo broke a tie in the seventh inning with an RBI single, followed by Ben Higdon’s run-scoring single to put the team ahead. Colby Allen came on in relief during a crucial moment with two runners on base and got out of the inning with a fielder’s choice.
Georgia State closed within one run after Nick Garagozzo’s RBI single in the eighth inning, but Russo added another RBI for Southern Miss with a groundout. In the ninth, Adam Haber doubled home another run for Georgia State before Allen ended the game with a strikeout and groundout. Allen earned his sixth win of the season and moved into a fourth-place tie for career victories at Southern Miss.
The Golden Eagles scored first for their fourth straight game when Seth Smith walked to lead off, eventually scoring along with Kyle Morrison after Russo singled through the left side. Georgia State tied it up in the third following Carter Bailey’s double and John Beverley’s bunt single after a rain delay that lasted more than two hours.
Looking ahead, Southern Miss will face either Troy or South Alabama next as they continue their pursuit of another conference title.
