Southern Miss Golden Eagles used a ninth inning walk off single from Kyle Morrison to edge Tulane Green Wave 5-4 on Tuesday night’s tightly contested game that featured early home runs, multiple lead changes and late game drama at Pete Taylor Park.
Southern Miss got off to a quick start in the bottom of the first inning. Seth Smith singled up the middle before Joey Urban crushed a two run home run to left center, his 10th of the season, giving the Golden Eagles an early 2-0 lead. Kyle Morrison followed with a single, but Tulane turned a double play later in the inning to limit further damage.
Tulane responded immediately in the top of the second inning. After a series of singles from Trent Liolios and Nate Johnson, James Agabedis delivered a two run hit that tied the game at 2-2. Kaikea Harrison later scored, and Tye Wood added an RBI double to give Tulane a 3-2 advantage before the inning ended.
Southern Miss answered right back in the bottom half when Drey Barrett launched a solo home run to left field, his third of the season, tying the game 3-3.
The deadlock continued until the fourth inning, when Barrett struck again, this time sending his second home run of the game over the fence to put Southern Miss ahead 4-3.
From there, both pitching staffs settled in, with limited scoring chances through the middle innings. Tulane threatened at times but was unable to break through, while Southern Miss left runners on base in key situations.
Tulane finally broke through again in the top of the ninth when Agabedis hit a solo home run to right field, tying the game at 4-4. A walk later in the inning put pressure on Southern Miss, but caught stealing ended the threat.
In the bottom of the ninth, Southern Miss put together the winning rally. Ty Long worked a walk to start the inning, followed by a double from Seth Smith to put runners in scoring position. Joey Urban was intentionally walked to load the bases, setting the stage for Kyle Morrison, who singled to right field to score Long and secure the 5-4 walk off victory.
With the win, Southern Miss takes a hard fought contest and improves momentum heading forward as they continue their homestand.
