University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Has 11-Game Winning Streak Snapped in 3-2 Wednesday Loss to Nicholls
3/4/2026 9:33:00 PM | Baseball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Nicholls used a two-run fifth to upend No. 10 Southern Miss 3-2 Wednesday night at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field, snapping a Golden Eagle 11-game winning streak in the process.
Southern Miss fell to 11-2 and will continue its five-game homestand with a three-game weekend series starting Friday at 6 p.m., versus North Alabama. The Colonels (7-8) won for the third-straight time and beat the Golden Eagles for the second consecutive meeting.
The Golden Eagles opened the scoring with a solo home run to left center by Matthew Russo, his third of the year, while Southern Miss starting pitcher Thomas Crabtee retired the first six Colonels he faced before giving up a solo shot to Nico Rijo-Berger, his second, tying the score at 1-1.
Joey Urban started the final scoring inning for the Golden Eagles by hitting a triple high off the center field wall. Russo then hit a ball to short that was thrown home but mishandled by the Colonel catcher, Clayton Pourciau, allowing Urban to score and giving Southern Miss the one-run advantage.
Nicholls, though, got two more runs off Crabtree in the fifth. Crabtree hit the leadoff hitter in the frame. After a strikeout, Jaxon Milam doubled to put a pair of runners into scoring position, ending Crabtree's day. Camden Sunstrom then came on for Southern Miss and Clayton Pourciau's sacrifice bunt was mishandled by Russo and the tying run scored. The visitors then took the lead for good with a Keegan Giger single.
Crabtree (0-1) went 4 2/3 and suffered the loss after allowing three runs on three hits with a pair of walks and a career-high eight strikeouts.
The Golden Eagles' final threat came in the eighth as they loaded the bases with one out on a pair of singles from Tucker Stock and Ben Higdon, before Urban was hit by a pitch. Russo then struck out and David Gillespie grounded to first to end the rally.
Reliever Tyler Avery retired all nine batters he faced with three strikeouts for the Colonels to get the victory and improve to 1-0, while Cole Poirrier retired the final five Southern Miss hitters, with three strikeouts, to earn his first save.
The Golden Eagles were outhit 7-5 in the game and fell to 3-1 this season in one-run games.
Southern Miss fell to 11-2 and will continue its five-game homestand with a three-game weekend series starting Friday at 6 p.m., versus North Alabama. The Colonels (7-8) won for the third-straight time and beat the Golden Eagles for the second consecutive meeting.
The Golden Eagles opened the scoring with a solo home run to left center by Matthew Russo, his third of the year, while Southern Miss starting pitcher Thomas Crabtee retired the first six Colonels he faced before giving up a solo shot to Nico Rijo-Berger, his second, tying the score at 1-1.
Joey Urban started the final scoring inning for the Golden Eagles by hitting a triple high off the center field wall. Russo then hit a ball to short that was thrown home but mishandled by the Colonel catcher, Clayton Pourciau, allowing Urban to score and giving Southern Miss the one-run advantage.
Nicholls, though, got two more runs off Crabtree in the fifth. Crabtree hit the leadoff hitter in the frame. After a strikeout, Jaxon Milam doubled to put a pair of runners into scoring position, ending Crabtree's day. Camden Sunstrom then came on for Southern Miss and Clayton Pourciau's sacrifice bunt was mishandled by Russo and the tying run scored. The visitors then took the lead for good with a Keegan Giger single.
Crabtree (0-1) went 4 2/3 and suffered the loss after allowing three runs on three hits with a pair of walks and a career-high eight strikeouts.
The Golden Eagles' final threat came in the eighth as they loaded the bases with one out on a pair of singles from Tucker Stock and Ben Higdon, before Urban was hit by a pitch. Russo then struck out and David Gillespie grounded to first to end the rally.
Reliever Tyler Avery retired all nine batters he faced with three strikeouts for the Colonels to get the victory and improve to 1-0, while Cole Poirrier retired the final five Southern Miss hitters, with three strikeouts, to earn his first save.
The Golden Eagles were outhit 7-5 in the game and fell to 3-1 this season in one-run games.
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