No. 7 Southern Miss Drops First Game of Sun Belt Series at Arkansas State

Golden Eagles fall 8-5 in series opener against dangerous Red Wolves squad

Mar. 14, 2026 at 2:05am

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Despite a late push, the No. 7 ranked Southern Miss Golden Eagles dropped the first game of their Sun Belt Conference series against Arkansas State, losing 8-5 at Tomlinson Stadium in Jonesboro. The Red Wolves rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to score seven unanswered runs and hand Southern Miss its first loss of the series.

Why it matters

This early conference matchup between two top teams in the Sun Belt sets the tone for the rest of the series and the season. Southern Miss was looking to get off to a strong start in league play, but the loss puts them behind the eight ball as they try to bounce back and win the next two games.

The details

Southern Miss jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the 3rd inning on a 3-run homer by senior outfielder Joey Urban. But Arkansas State responded with 1 run in the 3rd and 2 more in the 4th to tie it at 3-3. The Red Wolves then broke the game open with a 3-run 7th inning to take a 7-3 lead. Southern Miss tried to rally late, scoring 2 runs in the 9th, but left the bases loaded and couldn't complete the comeback.

  • The game was played on March 14, 2026.
  • Southern Miss and Arkansas State will face off again at 6 p.m. on March 15, 2026.

The players

Joey Urban

A senior outfielder for Southern Miss who hit a 3-run homer in the 3rd inning.

Colby Allen

The senior right-handed pitcher for Southern Miss who started the game and went 5 innings, giving up 3 runs.

Chase Richter

The senior left-handed pitcher for Arkansas State who went 6.1 innings, giving up 3 runs and striking out 7.

Camden Sunstrom

The sophomore right-handed pitcher who came in for Southern Miss in the 7th inning and gave up 3 runs.

Davis Gillespie

The junior outfielder for Southern Miss who hit a 2-RBI single in the 9th inning to cut the deficit to 8-5.

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What they’re saying

“Despite making a late push, the Golden Eagles dropped the first game of the series to Arkansas State at Tomlinson Stadium, 8-5.”

— Dalton Trigg, Author

What’s next

Southern Miss and Arkansas State will face off again at 6 p.m. on March 15, 2026 at Tomlinson Stadium. The Golden Eagles will look to even the series and avoid a tough opening weekend loss in Sun Belt play.

The takeaway

This early conference matchup between two top teams in the Sun Belt shows that Southern Miss will have its hands full this season, as Arkansas State proved to be a formidable opponent. The Golden Eagles will need to regroup quickly if they want to avoid dropping the series and falling behind in the league standings early on.