Late Heroics Lift Southern Miss Past Purdue in Round Rock Classic Opener

The Golden Eagles faced adversity in the last two innings against Purdue, yet found a way to pull out a massive win.

Southern Miss won a dramatic game against Purdue in the Round Rock Classic opener on Friday afternoon. / Dalton Trigg

ROUND ROCK, Texas – Under a grey Texas sky with the temperatures in the 60s, Southern Miss and Purdue traded punches for nine innings during the Round Rock Classic opener on Friday afternoon. In the end, it took one swing, one moment, for the Golden Eagles to walk out of Dell Diamond with a dramatic 5-4 win. With the win, Southern Miss improved to 4-1 on the year, while Purdue fell to 2-3. Here's how it went down.

Golden Eagle Bats Explode in The Fourth

Matthew Russo's double in the bottom of the fourth inning gave Southern Miss a 4-1 lead over Purdue. / Dalton Trigg

Up until the bottom of the fourth inning, Southern Miss had left five men on base through three innings while trailing Purdue, 1-0. The Golden Eagles' fortune started to turn for the better after junior catcher Tucker Stockman scored a run with a sac-fly to tie the game at 1-1.

Then, junior shortstop Seth Smith, who got the start on Friday in place of sophomore Ty Long, gave USM a 2-1 lead with a double. From there, senior center fielder Joey Urban and senior first baseman Matthew Russo expanded the lead to 4-1 with another sac-fly and double, respectively.

Southern Miss finished with 10 hits on the night, led by Caleb Stelly (2), Davis Gillespie (2), and Kyle Morrison (2). Purdue out-hit the Golden Eagles by registering 12 of its own, but it didn't matter in the end.

Pitching Did Its Job Through Seven, Despite Hiccups

Southern Miss catcher Tucker Stockman talks to Kros Sivley in the top of the seventh inning. / Dalton Trigg

After struggling by his standards in the season opener last weekend, senior RHP Colby Allen got off to another less-than-ideal start on Friday afternoon, as Purdue's lead-off single in the top of the first inning put the Golden Eagles down 1-0. However, Allen bounced back, finishing with five strikeouts through five innings and 87 pitches while not allowing another run during that span. It still wasn't an outing that was up to his high standards, as I'm sure he would tell you himself, but it was an improvement from one week to the next, which is what you like to see.

Senior LHP Kros Sivley came into the game for Southern Miss in the top of the sixth inning, but his appearance was brief, as he quickly found himself in a major jam. Purdue had the bases juiced with no outs, and Golden Eagles head coach Christian Ostrander made the call to the bullpen once again. Junior RHP Josh Och did the unthinkable, as he came into the game and left all three Purdue base runners stranded by getting three consecutive outs. He also held Purdue scoreless in the top of the seventh as well, only giving up one base due to hitting a batter.

Chaos in the Eighth

Southern Miss celebrates a dramatic win at the Round Rock Classic. / Clark Webster

In the top of the eighth inning, Och had his first real blooper of the afternoon by giving up a solo home run with one out. Purdue followed that homer with a double, which cut USM's lead to 4-2. With two men on base for Purdue and two outs, Coach Oz put freshman RHP Dylan Causey in the game for Och, who was quickly replaced by sophomore closing RHP Camden Clark after hitting a batter and loading the bases.

On Clark's first pitch, Purdue tied the game at 4-4 with a single that went into left field and scored two runs. Mercifully, the eighth inning finally came to an end with Southern Miss avoiding falling behind. Despite having two men on base in the bottom of the eighth, though, the Golden Eagles couldn't regain the lead, which led to a dramatic finish in the ninth.

One thing to note: Southern Miss pitching depth will be something to keep an eye on as this weekend progresses, as it had to use five arms on Friday with Allen (87 pitches), Sivley (14 pitches), Och (50 pitches), Dylan Causey (four pitches), and Camden Clark (34 pitches).

"Pete Taylor Park Magic" Travels to Round Rock

.@DreyBarrett wins it for @SouthernMissBSB with a walk-off double. Wow… what a first day at Round Rock. #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/fxcw8rojNr

— Dalton Trigg (@dalton_trigg) February 21, 2026

In the top of the ninth, Purdue was able to load the bases yet again with just one out. However, Clark was able to get out of the jam with a gutsy punch-out and a fly-out. Clark was fired up as he left the mound, and his teammates fed off his energy heading to the final frame of the game.

In the bottom of the ninth, Purdue walked USM junior left fielder Davis Gillespie. When a team gives up a lead-off walk late in a tie game, it usually comes back to bite, and that's exactly what happened to the Boilermakers on this night.

Dell Diamond displays "Southern Miss To The Top" in the outfield. / Dalton Trigg

Senior right fielder Ben Higdon, who has struggled to hit the ball early on this season for Southern Miss, laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to get Gillespie to second base. Then, with the winning run in scoring position, sophomore third baseman Drey Barrett belted a double into the gap, scoring Gillespie and winning the game for the Golden Eagles.

Loud chants of "U-S-M" rang throughout Dell Diamond, as the "Cardiac Eags" found yet another way to win a tough game.

Next up, No. 20 Southern Miss will face No. 11 Oregon State on the second day of the Round Rock Classic. That one figures to be a good game in its own right, but it has big shoes to fill after what we witnessed on Friday. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more USM baseball coverage throughout the weekend.

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