With their backs against the wall in a Sunday morning elimination game delayed by field conditions, Southern Miss rose to the occasions by dominating Indiana 15-3 and earning a trip to the Knoxville Regional final.
In only his third start of the year, Southern Miss pitcher Colby Allen tossed seven innings while allowing four hits and one run. From the plate, the Golden Eagles offense produced 26 baserunners and 15 runs for arguably their best offensive performance of the season.
How it happened
It only took Southern Miss four innings to get 15 runs on the board with multiple hits from Ozzie Pratt, Slade Wilks, Davis Gillespie, Matthew Russo, and Braden Luke. After forcing Indiana’s first three pitchers to throw 138 pitches and with no run rule in effect for the NCAA Tournament, the rest of the game was one with cold heels.
Colby Allen, coming off an MVP showing in the Sun Belt Tournament, did not allow a run until Indiana’s Devin Taylor hit a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth. The Hoosiers’ final two runs came in the bottom of the ninth when Jason Oliver hit a ball to deep right field that bounced over the fence off the glove of Nick Monistere. The comeback effort was to no avail as reliefer Cole Boswell closed out the game.
Numbers don’t lie
- Sunday’s performance was the eighth time Southern Miss has scored 15 runs or more in the NCAA Tournament.
- Wilks extended his hitting streak to 35 games, finishing three for five with three RBI and three runs scored.
- Southern Miss has only used five pitchers in three regional games so far with its last two starters allowing one run in 16 innings.
Next up
Southern Miss will now play top-seeded Tennessee at 5 p.m. CT on Sunday. The game will be televised on the SEC Network. The Golden Eagles will need to win two games to advance to a super regional while the Volunteers need just one win. If a second game is necessary, it will be played on Monday at a time to be determined.
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