University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Sunday, February 15
Pete Taylor Park
3 pm
Southern Miss
2-1
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UC Santa Barbara
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UC Santa Barb.
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Southern Miss.
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Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Baseball Walks Off UC Santa Barbara Sunday 6-5 to Win Opening Weekend Series
2/15/2026 7:44:00 PM | Baseball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Matthew Russo drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to lead Southern Miss to a 6-5 walk-off series clinching victory over UC Santa Barbara Sunday afternoon at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.
A crowd of 5,459 saw the Golden Eagles (2-1) enjoy their 34th walk-off victory since the start of the 2017 season. The three-day attendance total against the Gauchos (1-2) registered 16,518, setting a facility record for the opening weekend of the season.
With the score tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth, Tucker Stockman led off the final at bat with a single that ricocheted off the pitcher. Ty Long then battled for a six-pitch walk. After a Kyle Morrison sacrifice bunt, Joey Urban was intentionally walked to load the bases. That brought Russo, who never saw a strike from UCSB reliever Nic Peterson, walking the senior first baseman who drove in the game-winning run. It was Russo's fourth career walk-off RBI, the most of any Golden Eagle since 2017.
The Golden Eagles initially fell behind 2-1 but took their first lead with a three-run sixth. Russo, who finished the game with a pair of RBI, hit a solo home run to right center to open the frame and tied the score. After an out, Ben Higdon walked and Drey Barrett singled to center. Davis Gillespie then doubled home a run to give Southern Miss their first lead of the afternoon before Stockman added a sacrifice fly to put the home squad up 4-2.
That lead vanished for the Golden Eagles in the eighth when Cade Goldstein belted a pitch over the right field wall, a two-run shot, to tie the game on his first long ball of the year.
Barrett then went deep to the opposite field in the bottom of the eighth to give the Golden Eagles a 5-4 advantage.
Camden Clark, who registered a save on Saturday, came in to close the game in the ninth. After getting the first two batters out on a lineout and a strikeout, Clark induced a popout to short that looked like it would end the game, but Long misplayed it and it fell to the turf to extend the inning. Cole Kosciusko then tripled off the center field wall to tie the game, before Clark got another strikeout to end the threat.
Clark gave up an unearned run in the ninth with a hit and two walks to earn the victory and improve to 1-0.
The two teams traded runs in the opening frame, with Goldstein knocking in a run in the top of the first with a run-scoring single, while the Golden Eagles got an RBI single from Caleb Stelly. Nick Husovsky then added a solo homer, his second of the weekend, to give the Gauchos a 2-1 advantage.
Josh Jannicelli gave up a run on a hit over a third of an inning with a walk to suffer the loss and fall to 0-1.
The Golden Eagles next up take to the road in which they play at Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday night. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
A crowd of 5,459 saw the Golden Eagles (2-1) enjoy their 34th walk-off victory since the start of the 2017 season. The three-day attendance total against the Gauchos (1-2) registered 16,518, setting a facility record for the opening weekend of the season.
With the score tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth, Tucker Stockman led off the final at bat with a single that ricocheted off the pitcher. Ty Long then battled for a six-pitch walk. After a Kyle Morrison sacrifice bunt, Joey Urban was intentionally walked to load the bases. That brought Russo, who never saw a strike from UCSB reliever Nic Peterson, walking the senior first baseman who drove in the game-winning run. It was Russo's fourth career walk-off RBI, the most of any Golden Eagle since 2017.
The Golden Eagles initially fell behind 2-1 but took their first lead with a three-run sixth. Russo, who finished the game with a pair of RBI, hit a solo home run to right center to open the frame and tied the score. After an out, Ben Higdon walked and Drey Barrett singled to center. Davis Gillespie then doubled home a run to give Southern Miss their first lead of the afternoon before Stockman added a sacrifice fly to put the home squad up 4-2.
That lead vanished for the Golden Eagles in the eighth when Cade Goldstein belted a pitch over the right field wall, a two-run shot, to tie the game on his first long ball of the year.
Barrett then went deep to the opposite field in the bottom of the eighth to give the Golden Eagles a 5-4 advantage.
Camden Clark, who registered a save on Saturday, came in to close the game in the ninth. After getting the first two batters out on a lineout and a strikeout, Clark induced a popout to short that looked like it would end the game, but Long misplayed it and it fell to the turf to extend the inning. Cole Kosciusko then tripled off the center field wall to tie the game, before Clark got another strikeout to end the threat.
Clark gave up an unearned run in the ninth with a hit and two walks to earn the victory and improve to 1-0.
The two teams traded runs in the opening frame, with Goldstein knocking in a run in the top of the first with a run-scoring single, while the Golden Eagles got an RBI single from Caleb Stelly. Nick Husovsky then added a solo homer, his second of the weekend, to give the Gauchos a 2-1 advantage.
Josh Jannicelli gave up a run on a hit over a third of an inning with a walk to suffer the loss and fall to 0-1.
The Golden Eagles next up take to the road in which they play at Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday night. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Clark, Camden (1-0)
L: J. Jannicell (0-1)
Batting:
3B: C. Kosciusko 1
HR: C. Goldstein 1 ; N. Husovsky 1
RBI: C. Goldstein 3 ; C. Kosciusko 1 ; N. Husovsky 1
SH: X. Esquer 1
Base Running:
RUNS: R. Kelly 2 ; C. Goldstein 2 ; N. Husovsky 1
SB: R. Kelly 1 ; C. Goldstein 1 ; J. Mendez 1 ; N. Karliner 1
CS: C. Goldstein 1 ; X. Esquer 1
Batting:
2B: Gillespie, Davis 1
HR: Russo, Matthew 1 ; Barrett, Drey 1
RBI: Russo, Matthew 2 ; Stelly, Caleb 1 ; Barrett, Drey 1 ; Gillespie, Davis 1 ; Stockman, Tucker 1
SH: Morrison, Kyle 1
SF: Stockman, Tucker 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Urban, Joey 1 ; Russo, Matthew 1 ; Higdon, Ben 1 ; Barrett, Drey 2 ; Smith, Seth 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF
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RHP
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OF
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