Cajuns Rally Late But Southern Miss Claims Sun Belt Championship
(MONTGOMERY, AL). - Southern Miss came into Sunday's Sun Belt Conference Championship Game as the No. 8 team in the country, and the Golden Eagles played like it from the first pitch. Louisiana gave everything it had in the final three innings, but an 8-1 hole was too much to fully overcome in an 11-7 loss at DABOS Park.
A Rough Start
Seth Smith and Matthew Russo went back-to-back with home runs off Louisiana starter Andrew Herrmann in the first inning, and USM kept piling on from there. Three runs in the first, three more in the second, two in the third, and the Cajuns were suddenly staring at an 8-1 deficit before the game was even halfway through.
It's worth remembering the context here. Southern Miss had already played and won a game earlier Sunday morning, beating Troy 6-2 in an elimination game. The Golden Eagles weren't tired. They were rolling. And Louisiana was playing its seventh tournament game in six days.
Donovan LaSalle got the Cajuns on the board in the third with his 11th home run of the season, but the momentum didn't stick. Louisiana left the bases loaded in both the fourth and fifth innings, and USM answered with two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to push the lead to 11-1.
The Cajuns Fight Back
That eighth inning made things interesting. Blaze Rodriguez got a run home with an RBI single in the seventh to break the quiet stretch, then Lee Amedee launched a two-run shot to right off USM reliever Josh Och in the eighth. Mark Collins followed with a three-run blast to left, and just like that it was 11-7 with the crowd back in it. Southern Miss had enough cushion, but this team made them earn every out.
JR Tollett was outstanding in relief, covering 4.2 innings in his longest outing since March 15, scattering four hits and striking out four. Drew Markle added two doubles. Amedee and LaSalle each went 2-for-the-day.
What's Next
Louisiana finishes the tournament 39-23 and heads home as the Sun Belt runner-up for the third time since 2022. The postseason isn't over. The Ragin' Cajuns will find out their NCAA Regional destination when pairings are announced on Monday at 11am. Stay locked in to 103.3 The GOAT for all the coverage.
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