Grayden Harris 'Attack' Approach Leads No. 10 Southern Miss Past North Alabama

The Golden Eagles kept their positive momentum going on Saturday, led by a career-best 13 strikeouts from Grayden Harris.

Southern Miss sophomore LHP Grayden Harris had a career-best 13 strikeouts on Saturday in a win against North Alabama. / @SouthernMissBSB

HATTIESBURG, Miss – Going into Saturday's game against North Alabama with a chance to win the series, No. 10 Southern Miss was confident it could get the job done with sophomore LHP Grayden Harris on the mound.

Thanks to a masterclass performance by Harris, paired with some clutch hitting late, the Golden Eagles secured the series with a 6-1 win at Pete Taylor Park. Southern Miss improved to 13-2 on the year, while North Alabama fell to 7-8.

Harris Uses "Attack" Approach in Career-Best Performance

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Harris was great in Ruston last weekend, as he pitched six shutout innings in a win over Louisiana Tech. He certainly rode that momentum into today's game, finishing with a career-high 13 strikeouts in seven innings with only three hits, one walk, and one run given up. With the win, Harris improved to 3-0 on the year.

"My word of the day was attack," Harris tells Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI. "I worked on attacking every hitter early today and often. I worked a lot of heaters early in the game, changing locations, and around the fourth inning, the heaters opened up my other pitches and helped me stay in a groove."

North Alabama created a little trouble for Harris in the top of the seventh, as it got its lone run across off a Cayden Sheffield double to make it 2-1, USM. Although the Lions had an opportunity to tie the game, some hesitation from catcher Wes Walker coming home from third allowed USM shortstop Seth Smith to throw him out at the plate to preserve the lead and end the frame.

"It means a lot," Harris said of having a performance like this to secure a series win. "Every win matters, and we always take it one game at a time. Every time I go out to pitch, I try to give my team the best outcome possible. I feel like this outing can set the tone for what every outing should feel like. Work to attack every hitter every outing."

Morrison Seeing the Ball Well, Focused on "Hammering Mistakes"

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Senior outfielder Joey Urban got the scoring started on Saturday, as he sent a solo shot 367 feet off the scoreboard in left field to give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. It was the two-time reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week's fifth home run of the season.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, senior second baseman Kyle Morrison followed suit by hitting fifth homer of the year to give Southern Miss a 2-0 lead. It was also a solo shot that went 370 and nearly hit off the same spot of the scoreboard as Urban's did. Morrison has been on a heater lately, as he continues to see the ball well at the plate.

“Yeah just sticking to my approach, not trying to do too much, and just hammering mistake pitches," Morrison tells Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI on what's been clicking for him at the plate lately.

"I’m really focused on staying through the middle of the field," Morrison said, "because if I’m a little early, I can still pull the baseball to right field. But even if I’m late, I can still hit a ball to the opposite field. So that’s been a big mindset for me.”

Knockout Punch in the Eighth

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The Golden Eagles slammed the door on the Lions in the bottom of the eighth inning, as a Drey Barrett sacrifice fly, later followed by a three-RBI double from Smith with the bases loaded, gave USM a commanding 6-1 lead heading to the ninth.

Josh Och finished out the last two frames for the Golden Eagles, finishing with two strikeouts while giving up just one hit on 35 pitches. He earned his second save of the year.

Including the Round Rock Classic a few weekends ago, Southern Miss will go for its third consecutive sweep on Sunday with sophomore RHP McCarty English set to take the mound against North Alabama. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more baseball coverage on Sunday.