Virginia Eliminates Host Southern Miss 15-11 in Extra Innings

After a day of upsets, 1-seed Southern MIss and 2-seed Virginia would come out trying to avoid elimination in Hattesburg. It was a back and forth offensive battle, with Virginia and Southern Miss needing extra innings to decide the winner of this one. The Cavaliers would ultimately come out on top, eliminating host Southern Miss 15-11 in ten innings.

Virginia would start the scoring early, as an AJ Gracia single in the first would drive in the first run of the game. Southern Miss would answer quickly on a three-run homer by Tucker Stockman would give the Golden Eagles the lead in the second. The offensive battle would just expand from there, as RJ Holmes, Joe Tiroly, and Gracia would drive in three additional runs for Virginia in the third. A Davis Gillespie three-run home run would give Southern Miss the lead back, and we would end the first third of the game with Southern Miss up 6-4.

Virginia would drive in four additional runs in the fourth off the bats of Holmes and Gracia to give the Cavaliers back the lead. Southern Miss would answer in the sixth with Kyle Morrison and Drey Barrett singles driving in two for the Golden Eagles. Virginia would once again answer with RBIs from Noah Murray and Gracia in the seventh, and the Cavaliers would lead 11-8 heading into the eighth.

The Golden Eagles would drive in three runs in their half of the eighth off the bats of Barrett and Stockman, and as we headed to the ninth, the score was tied. Neither team could get a run across in the ninth, and so we headed to extra innings with the score 11-11.

Virginia would take the lead on a Zach Jackson single and a Kyle Johnson 418 foot homer. Southern Miss couldn't get anything going in the bottom of the tenth, and Virginia would take the game 15-11.

Southern Miss coach Christian Ostrander highlighted the strength across college baseball when asked about the amount of host teams struggling in Regionals. "College baseball, the parity in it, it's ridiculous. Any team at any time can beat you. Doesn't matter what stats say, doesn't matter what conference you're in. It's a bigger, faster, stronger sport. [...] You['ve] got to go out there and earn it."

Virginia coach Chris Pollard talked about the need to focus one game at a time. "It's a one game season. We'll try to fight like crazy to get through that one, and we won't worry about the next one until that one's over with."

Virginia will face the loser of Jax State/Little Rock tomorrow at 3pm CT.