'Cardiac Eags': No. 12 Southern Miss Completes Dramatic Comeback Series Win vs. Troy

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Just like last weekend in Jonesboro, No. 12 Southern Miss found itself in a tough situation at the start of an important Sun Belt series rubber match, as it trailed Troy by four runs in the top of the third inning. However, the Golden Eagles learned from that experience and achieved a different result at Pete Taylor Park on Sunday, winning a dramatic series decider, 5-4.

Despite being down 4-0 early on, the "Cardiac Eags" chipped away at the deficit, scoring two runs in the bottom of the third, two more in the bottom of the sixth, and the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh to finish off the Trojans. With the win, the Golden Eagles improved to 19-5 (3-3), while the Trojans dropped to 10-13 (3-3).

Gillespie Starts the Rally

After falling into a four-run hole, the Golden Eagles desperately needed an injection of energy, and junior outfielder Davis Gillespie provided it in the bottom of the third by launching his second homer of the weekend, and sixth of the season, 408 feet over the midfield wall to cut the deficit to 4-2.

“We learned last week that there are going to be storms that will come our way this season,” Gillespie told Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI. “It’s how we respond to those storms that will make a difference, and that’s what we did this weekend.”

Gillespie is now batting .319 on the year and is tied with Joey Urban and Kyle Morrison for first on the team with 29 hits. The Golden Eagles will continue leaning on Gillespie as a catalyst at the top of their lineup this year as they also try to raise the team's batting average across the board.

“I would say that I have been focused on swinging at good pitches early in the at bat,” Davis said when asked about what he’s looking for at the plate lately. “I have also been focused on doing everything I can to keep at bats going when I am behind in counts.”

Pete Taylor Park Magic in Sixth and Seventh Innings

Had it not been for an injury, Troy senior RHP Tommy Egan would've been on the mound for the Trojans on Friday night. However, he found himself on the bump for Sunday instead and pitched well through five innings before being replaced by Brock Tapper in the sixth after giving up an RBI single to Seth Smith that let Southern Miss pull to within 4-3.

Tapper was unable to find the strike zone, though, and he ultimately walked in a Golden Eagle runner with the bases loaded to tie the game at 4-4. Troy's hitting coach adamantly disagreed with the calls being made leading up to that moment and was ejected from the game for arguing with the umpire.

Then, in the bottom of the seventh, junior catcher Tucker Stockman scored senior first baseman Matthew Russo from third with a sacrifice fly that gave Southern Miss its first lead of the game at 5-4. That score held the rest of the way after sophomore RHP Camden Clark (4-0) came into the game to close out the final 2.1 innings with four strikeouts and just one hit given up.

Through 14.1 innings in 12 appearances this season, Clark has posted a 0.00 ERA with 17 strikeouts and just five hits and one run given up. He has solidified his status as one of the best closers in the nation.

Eubanks Continues to Impress

With the way freshman designated hitter Gray Eubanks has been playing, we might see him take full possession of that position in the starting lineup going forward if he keeps having performances as he did on Sunday.

In four at-bats, Eubanks registered two singles and one double to give him three hits total on the day. In the prior games leading up to this one, the freshman has shown great plate discipline, working his way on base with walks and then running the bases well enough to score. Head coach Christian Ostrander should be encouraged by the accelerated growth he's seen from the youngster in the first half of this season.

On To Starkeville

USM — Mississippi State Bulldogs utility player/right-handed pitcher Noah Sullivan (18) bats against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss., on March 3, 2026. | Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

By no means was this game or series pretty, but thankfully, the win column doesn't care about appearance. The Golden Eagles will now travel to Starkville to take on No. 6 Mississippi State. Southern Miss won a 7-6 thriller against the Bulldogs at The Pete back on March 3.

Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more baseball coverage throughout this coming week, starting with the new national rankings that will be released on Monday.