Virginia survived a back-and-forth slugfest Saturday, scoring four runs in the 10th inning to defeat Southern Miss 15-11 in an NCAA Tournament elimination game at the Hattiesburg Regional.
The Cavaliers (37-22) and Golden Eagles combined for 26 runs and 31 hits in a contest that featured five lead changes before Virginia delivered the decisive blow in extra innings.
Recommended Videos
After Southern Miss erased an 11-8 deficit with three runs in the eighth inning, Virginia regained control in the 10th. Zach Jackson lined a two-run single to give the Cavaliers a 13-11 advantage before Kyle Johnson added a two-run homer to center field, extending the lead to four runs.
Virginia struck first when AJ Gracia drove in RJ Holmes with a first-inning single. Southern Miss answered in the second on Tucker Stockman’s three-run homer before Joe Tiroly’s three-run blast in the third put the Cavaliers back in front. The Golden Eagles responded immediately with a three-run homer from Davis Gillespie to reclaim the lead.
The Cavaliers broke through with a five-run fourth inning highlighted by Gracia’s bases-clearing triple, building a 9-6 advantage. Southern Miss chipped away and eventually pulled even at 11-11 in the eighth on Stockman’s two-run double.
Gracia and Holmes paced Virginia’s offense, while Tiroly drove in four runs. Johnson’s extra-inning homer proved to be the game’s biggest hit as the Cavaliers kept their season alive.
Southern Miss finished its season at 44-17. Virginia advanced in the regional after eliminating the ninth-seeded Golden Eagles from the NCAA Tournament.