With backs against the wall in the late innings of Saturday’s elimination game against Alabama, Southern Miss put three runs on the board in the penultimate frame and held on for a 6-5 win at Pete Taylor Park.
Though 2025 Ferris Trophy winner JB Middleton surrendered five runs on three Crimson Tide home runs, the Golden Eagle ace set the table with a seven competitive innings on the mound. He gave way to reliever Colby Allen in the eighth, who hung two zeros on the scoreboard to earn his seventh win of the season.
Scoring summary
Alabama’s Tyler Fay went toe-to-toe with Middleton, allowing three runs through six innings of baseball.
A tense environment filled Pete Taylor Park as the two sides, both facing an 0-2 exit from the NCAA Tournament, were deadlocked in a 3-3 affair. In the top of the seventh, Madison native and former Golden Eagle Bryce Fowler lifted a hanging Middleton breaking ball over the center field wall to give the Tide a 5-3 advantage.
But Southern Miss was up to the task of responding when it mattered. Sun Belt Player of the Year Nick Monistere proved his mettle yet again with a leadoff solo shot, his second long ball of the day, to bring USM within one. The black and gold then mustered another rally, loading the bases on a hit batter, a base on balls, and an intentional walk to Carson Paetow.
That sent sophomore catcher Tucker Stockman to the dish with the game hanging in the balance and three of his teammates on board. Stockman came through, delivering a two-strike, two-out, two-RBI single into right center field to give Southern Miss a 6-5 lead and blow the lid off of Pete Taylor Park.
Alabama countered by loading the bases with two outs in the ninth, but Allen held the line, inducing a groundout to third base off the bat of Crimson Tide cleanup hitter Richie Bonomolo, Jr.
What the skipper said
Amid a two-game skid, which included a 7-5 loss to No. 13 Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt conference tournament title game and Friday’s 11-4 loss to 4-seed Columbia, Southern Miss head man Christian Ostrander said his club was still a confident one.
“It was a dogfight, kind of like a heavyweight fight today, and we wanted to keep it close enough to have a chance,” Ostrander said. “Our guys continue to fight and compete every game. It’s been a characteristic all year and I’m proud of their resilience.”
Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn felt the same about his team.
“There were guys who believed in what we were doing and helped set the foundation of what Alabama baseball is going to be. We will eventually dogpile and be the ones on top at the end if they believe in us.”
The numbers never lie
Monistere finished with two home runs, three runs batted in, and did not leave anyone on base when he was up for the Golden Eagles. Outfielder Ben Higdon and DH Joey Urban were the only other Southern Miss players to reach base twice.
Middleton pitched seven innings and allowed five runs on seven hits with a walk and eight strikeouts, but did not figure in the decision. Middleton gave up a solo homer to Will Plattner in the third, his first of 2025, a two-run shot to Waynesboro native Will Hodo in the fourth, and a two-run blast to Fowler in the seventh. Those three homers accounted for all five Alabama runs.
Allen did not allow a run over his two innings, with two hits, three walks, and two strikeouts to garner the victory and improve to 7-4. Carson Ozmer suffered the loss to fall to 4-2 as his season concluded.
Next up
The Golden Eagles return to action Sunday when they take on the loser of the winner’s bracket contest between (4) Columbia and (3) Miami. The game time is set for 2 p.m. Sunday. Alabama saw its season end with a 41-18 record.
