University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Friday, April 24
Mobile, Ala.
6:30 pm
Southern Miss
30-12, 12-7
4
at
3
South Alabama
25-17, 10-9
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Miss | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0 |
| South Alabama | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Gillespie’s Homer Lifts Southern Miss over South Alabama 4-3 Friday Night in Mobile
4/24/2026 10:54:00 PM | Baseball
MOBILE, Ala. – Davis Gillespie broke open a tie game with a 452-foot home run to left center which proved to be the difference in No. 18 Southern Miss' series-opening victory over South Alabama Friday night at Eddie Stanky Field.
The Golden Eagles (30-12 overall, 12-7 Sun Belt) won for the fifth-straight game and reached 30 wins for the 24th-straight season, which is currently tops in Division I baseball. It also marked the third consecutive one-run win for the squad.
Catcher Tucker Stockman had a career-high four hits in the 11-hit Southern Miss attack, as both Gillespie and Ben Higdon posted two apiece.
With the score tied at 2-2 in the seventh, Joey Urban drew a one-out walk. After a comebacker to the pitcher for the second out of the frame, Gillespie blasted a 0-1 Jaxon Shineflew pitch deep over the left center wall to give the visitors the lead for good. The homer was the 11th of the year for Gillespie.
Golden Eagle starter Grayden Harris pitched 5 2/3 solid innings as he limited the Jaguars to two runs on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. He left in the sixth with two runners on, but Josh Och got the final out of the frame and ended up earning the victory, improving to 4-1.
Colby Allen threw the final three innings, allowing a run on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts to earn his first save of the season and 20th of his career, tying both Austin Tubb and Nick Sandlin for fifth all-time in the Southern Miss career record books.
Shineflew gave up two runs on four hits with two walks and one strikeout over 2 1/3 innings to suffer the loss and fall to 4-2.
The Golden Eagles took an early lead with a solo run in third. Seth Smith singled to left center to open the frame. After a pair of groundouts that each moved him up a base, Smith scored on a Gillespie infield single that went back up the middle and the shortstop's throw to first was late.
Harris limited the Jaguars (25-16, 10-9) to just one hit over the first four innings but allowed a walk to open the fifth. After a perfect bunt single and a wild pitch to put a pair of runners into scoring position. Marc Stephens then put USA ahead with a two-run single to right center.
Southern Miss tied the game again in the seventh at 2-2. After Matthew Russo opened things with a double off the left field wall, he went to third on a ground out by Drey Barrett. The Jaguars then went to the pen for Jaxon Shineflew. After Ben Higdon's infield put runners at the corners, Stockman knocked in Russo to tie the score.
USA added a run in the ninth on a groundout by Brennon Wright, after Ethan Melton reached on a one-out triple.
Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. The game was moved up an hour due to expected rains later in the afternoon.
The Golden Eagles (30-12 overall, 12-7 Sun Belt) won for the fifth-straight game and reached 30 wins for the 24th-straight season, which is currently tops in Division I baseball. It also marked the third consecutive one-run win for the squad.
Catcher Tucker Stockman had a career-high four hits in the 11-hit Southern Miss attack, as both Gillespie and Ben Higdon posted two apiece.
With the score tied at 2-2 in the seventh, Joey Urban drew a one-out walk. After a comebacker to the pitcher for the second out of the frame, Gillespie blasted a 0-1 Jaxon Shineflew pitch deep over the left center wall to give the visitors the lead for good. The homer was the 11th of the year for Gillespie.
Golden Eagle starter Grayden Harris pitched 5 2/3 solid innings as he limited the Jaguars to two runs on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. He left in the sixth with two runners on, but Josh Och got the final out of the frame and ended up earning the victory, improving to 4-1.
Colby Allen threw the final three innings, allowing a run on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts to earn his first save of the season and 20th of his career, tying both Austin Tubb and Nick Sandlin for fifth all-time in the Southern Miss career record books.
Shineflew gave up two runs on four hits with two walks and one strikeout over 2 1/3 innings to suffer the loss and fall to 4-2.
The Golden Eagles took an early lead with a solo run in third. Seth Smith singled to left center to open the frame. After a pair of groundouts that each moved him up a base, Smith scored on a Gillespie infield single that went back up the middle and the shortstop's throw to first was late.
Harris limited the Jaguars (25-16, 10-9) to just one hit over the first four innings but allowed a walk to open the fifth. After a perfect bunt single and a wild pitch to put a pair of runners into scoring position. Marc Stephens then put USA ahead with a two-run single to right center.
Southern Miss tied the game again in the seventh at 2-2. After Matthew Russo opened things with a double off the left field wall, he went to third on a ground out by Drey Barrett. The Jaguars then went to the pen for Jaxon Shineflew. After Ben Higdon's infield put runners at the corners, Stockman knocked in Russo to tie the score.
USA added a run in the ninth on a groundout by Brennon Wright, after Ethan Melton reached on a one-out triple.
Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. The game was moved up an hour due to expected rains later in the afternoon.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Och, Josh (4-1)
L: Shineflew, Jaxon (4-2)
S: Allen, Colby (1)
Batting:
2B: Russo, Matthew 1
HR: Gillespie, Davis 1
RBI: Gillespie, Davis 3 ; Stockman, Tucker 1
SH: Smith, Seth 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Urban, Joey 1 ; Russo, Matthew 1 ; Gillespie, Davis 1 ; Smith, Seth 1
HBP: Urban, Joey 1 ; Barrett, Drey 1 ; Smith, Seth 1
Batting:
2B: Melton, Ethan 1
3B: Melton, Ethan 1
RBI: Stephens, Marc 2 ; Wright, Brennon 1
SH: Johnson, Rett 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Melton, Ethan 1 ; Miranda, Robert 1 ; Young, Mike 1
HBP: Miranda, Robert 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
4
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballC
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballTrue Grit: Final Episode
Friday, October 20
Episode 1: War Damn Golden Eagle
Tuesday, August 22
Episode 5: Battle for the Belt
Thursday, August 17
Episode 4: Battle for the Belt
Saturday, August 12