Colby Allen Closes Out No. 12 Southern Miss' Win at JMU After Epic 7th Inning Rally

The Golden Eagles faced a three-run deficit going into the top of the seventh inning before completely flipping the script on the Dukes.

Senior reliever Colby Allen took the mound in the seventh inning and locked up JMU as No. 12 Southern Miss held on to an 8-5 win in the series opener on Friday night. | @SouthernMissBSB

After facing some midgame adversity in its Sun Belt series opener against James Madison on Friday night in Harrisonburg, Va., No. 12 Southern Miss showcased its resilience and mental toughness by rallying from a three-run deficit to secure an 8-5 win.

With their fourth consecutive win, the Golden Eagles improved to 35-14 (17-8) on the year. The Dukes fell to 20-28 (10-15). Here are some of the biggest takeaways from tonight's game.

Resilient Eags Overwhelm Dukes in 7th

Matthew Russo put the Golden Eagles ahead of JMU for good with a two-RBI double in the top of the seventh inning on Friday night. | @SouthernMissBSB

After giving up five runs total in the third, fourth and fifth innings, the Golden Eagles saw their 2-0 lead quickly turn into a 5-2 deficit. However, USM completely flipped the script on JMU in the seventh inning.

The Eagles took advantage of the Dukes walking both Ty Long and Seth Smith to start the seventh with an RBI single from Joey Urban to cut the deficit to two runs. Then, moments later, Smith scored from third on a JMU wild pitch to make it a one-run game.

With two runners in scoring position, senior first baseman Matthew Russo, who always seems to find himself in big moments, drove in two runs with a clutch double to give the Eagles a 6-5 lead. Then, the epic rally in the seventh was capped off by sophomore designated hitter Drey Barrett launching a two-run bomb to left center to give USM an 8-5 lead that held the rest of the way.

Urban, Russo and Barrett led the Eagles with two hits apiece. Overall, Southern Miss collected 10 hits on the night.

Colby Allen Slams the Door

Senior reliever Colby Allen took the mound in the seventh inning and locked up JMU as No. 12 Southern Miss held on to an 8-5 win in the series opener on Friday night. | @SouthernMissBSB

After turning a three-run deficit into a three-run lead, the Eagles turned to senior reliever Colby Allen to finish things off in the series opener. In three full innings of work, Allen did just that, registering six strikeouts on just 24 pitches with no hits or runs given up. It was Allen's second save of the season.

"It was huge," Allen tells Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI when asked about the run support he received before entering the game. "My mindset once that happened was to fill it up and let my pitches work."

The Golden Eagles have been a resilient team all season. Even when down by multiple runs, nobody panics, allowing them to make comebacks like the one we witnessed on Friday. Allen credits that consistent resilience to experience and unwavering confidence.

"It’s a mixture of both experience and confidence," Allen tells us. "We never feel like we are out of the fight, no matter the score. We are a bunch of gritty guys who play for each other."

In 20 appearances this season, Allen has a 5-1 record with a 2.56 ERA and 72 strikeouts to just 17 walks. One of the nation's best bullpen arms is more than warmed up and ready for postseason play.

Eags Hoping for Less Drama on Saturday

Drey Barrett launched a two-run homer to left-center field to put the finishing touches on a six-run seventh inning in No. 12 Southern Miss' 8-5 win over JMU on Friday night. | @SouthernMissBSB

A win is a win, no matter how you get it, but there's no doubt that Coach Oz and his guys would love to secure this series on Saturday without having to make another big comeback. Look for the Eagles to come out with some fire in search of a more complete performance in Game 2 of this series.

The Golden Eagles will be back in action at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon with sophomore RHP Camden Clark on the mound. Last weekend, Clark dazzled with a 15-strikeout performance to help Southern Miss secure a series win against UL Monroe. We'll see how much of an encore he can put on in Saturday's game. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more baseball coverage throughout the weekend.