Southern Miss Tops Miami to Force Regional Final

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The University of Miami baseball team (33-25, 15-14 ACC) fell to the top-seeded Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (47-15, 24-6 Sun Belt) by a final score of 17-6 Sunday night at Peter Taylor Park. Southern Miss tallied nine runs in the opening frame, building a lead that proved too much for third-seeded Miami to overcome.

Camden Sunstrom (3-0) earned the win in relief for Southern Miss, tossing 4 2/3 innings and allowing just one unearned run on four hits with two walks and one strikeout. Freshman right-hander Tate DeRias (2-3) took the loss for Miami, surrendering nine earned runs on seven hits in just two-thirds of an inning.

Southern Miss erupted for nine runs on nine hits in the opening frame, seizing quick control of the game. The Golden Eagles strung together five RBI singles before designated hitter Joey Urban capped off the eruption with a towering home run to center field. Eight of the nine runs came with two outs, giving the regional hosts a commanding 9-0 lead after one.

Matthew Russo added to the Golden Eagles’ lead with a solo home run, but Miami’s Tanner Smith answered in the bottom of the second with a solo shot of his own, trimming the deficit to 10-2.

What started as a scoring barrage in the first two frames quickly turned into a defensive battle until the fifth inning, when the Hurricanes showed signs of life.

Renzo Gonzalez was hit by a pitch to open the inning, and Tanner Smith followed with a single to right, moving Gonzalez into scoring position. After a pitching change, freshman Fabio Peralta flied out to center, advancing both runners.

Freshman Michael Torres started the scoring with an RBI single to right, scoring Gonzalez, and Jake Ogden would then deliver a two-run double down the first base line, plating Torres and Smith. Max Galvin followed with an infield single, pushing Ogden to third.

After another pitching change from Southern Miss, Daniel Cuvet drew a walk to load the bases. Dorian Gonzalez Jr. drove in a run with a groundout to third to score Ogden and make it 10-5.

But the Golden Eagles kept the pressure on, and in the top of the seventh, Joey Urban notched his second home run of the contest to give Southern Miss a 12-5 advantage.

Southern Miss tacked on two runs in the seventh, one in the eighth, and four in the ninth, as Miami shifted focus toward preserving its pitching staff for Monday’s regional finale.

The final game of the NCAA Hattiesburg Regional between the Hurricanes and Golden Eagles is scheduled to begin on Monday at 9 p.m. eastern time and will be broadcast on ESPNU.

To stay up to date with the University of Miami Hurricanes baseball team, be sure to follow @canesbaseball on Instagram, X and Facebook.