Southern Miss Tops Louisiana 8-1 in Sun Belt Series Opener

Golden Eagles win third straight behind strong pitching performance

Apr. 11, 2026 at 4:06am

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A cubist-style painting featuring overlapping geometric shapes and planes in navy, gold, and crimson, conveying the motion and intensity of a college baseball game.A fractured, geometric illustration captures the dynamic energy of a Sun Belt Conference baseball matchup between Southern Miss and Louisiana.Lafayette Today

The No. 10 Southern Miss Golden Eagles defeated the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns 8-1 in the opening game of their Sun Belt Conference series on Friday night. Matthew Russo and Tucker Stockman each hit two-run home runs to power the Golden Eagles' offense, while Grayden Harris pitched 6 2/3 solid innings to earn the victory on the mound.

Why it matters

This win extends Southern Miss's winning streak to three games and keeps them in contention in the Sun Belt Conference standings. The loss drops Louisiana to 4-9 in conference play, putting them further behind the leaders.

The details

Southern Miss jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on Russo's fifth home run of the season. The Golden Eagles then added two more runs in the third inning and two more in the fifth to build a comfortable 6-0 advantage. Louisiana scored its lone run in the seventh inning, but Southern Miss tacked on two more runs in the eighth to seal the victory.

  • The game started an hour and a half late due to rain in the area.
  • The series continues on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The players

Matthew Russo

A Southern Miss player who hit a two-run home run in the first inning.

Tucker Stockman

A Southern Miss player who hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning.

Grayden Harris

The Southern Miss pitcher who earned the victory, allowing just one run on four hits with 10 strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings.

Sawyer Pruitt

The Louisiana pitcher who suffered the loss, allowing four runs on three hits with six walks over four-plus innings.

Drew Markle

The Louisiana player who drove in the team's lone run with an RBI single in the seventh inning.

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What’s next

Game two of the series is set to take place at 2 p.m., Saturday.

The takeaway

This win keeps Southern Miss in contention in the Sun Belt Conference race, while Louisiana continues to struggle, dropping to 4-9 in conference play. The Golden Eagles' strong pitching and timely hitting proved to be the difference in the series opener.