For nine innings of the opening game of the NCAA Auburn Regional on Friday, the pitcher’s duel everyone figured on did in fact materialize.

But in the 10th, Samford’s bats awoke in a big way.

After Southern Miss ace Tanner Hall allowed just one run in nine innings, the Bulldogs scored three runs off the Golden Eagles’ bullpen in the 10th. Southern Miss scored a run in the bottom of the inning, but Samford held on for a 4-2 victory.

With the win, third-seeded Samford (37-23) advances to meet the winner of Friday’s late game between top-seeded Auburn and No. 4 Penn at 8 p.m. Saturday. Second-seeded Southern Miss (41-18) drops into an elimination game at 2 p.m. Saturday.

The victory was Samford’s first in NCAA Regional play since 2018, when they beat Florida State in the first round in Nashville. The Bulldogs were Southern Conference champions this year, winning three games last Saturday to clinch the tournament title for the second time in three years.

“It was an exciting day for our guys in our program and our university as a whole,” Samford coach Tony David said. “We talked about … we weren’t coming here for a sight-seeing tour. We really felt like we were playing well and we felt like this was a place we could have success. And I felt like our guys really believed that in preparing, and certainly played like it today.”

Hall all but shut the Bulldogs down through the first nine, allowing just Garrett Staton’s third-inning RBI double. The Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year threw a season-high 123 pitches, giving up eight hits with two walks and nine strikeouts.

Samford ace Jacob Cravey — the SoCon Pitcher of the Year — was very nearly as good, allowing one run on five hits with five walks and five strikeouts in six innings. Bulldogs closer Ben Petschke shut out the Golden Eagles over the next three innings before allowing a run in the 10th, but closed out the game to pick up the victory.

“I thought we had good at-bats all day,” said Southern Miss shortstop Dustin Dickerson, who was 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. “We just couldn’t get the timely hit. We had the bases loaded in multiple innings, but didn’t get the big hit. It happens sometimes.”

Samford immediately took advantage after Hall left the game. Josh Rodriguez greeted Golden Eagles reliever Justin Storm (5-2) with a long solo homer over the center-field batter’s eye at Plainsman Park, giving the Bulldogs their first lead at 2-1.

Andrew Bennett followed by blooping a double into right field, sending Storm to the showers after facing just two hitters. Niko Mazza came on and allowed Staton’s second RBI double — also the fourth hit of the game for the Samford leadoff man — to make it 3-1.

“When we got mistakes, we hit them and we hit them hard,” Staton said.

Stephen Klein then added a sacrifice fly to put the Bulldogs up 4-1. Southern Miss made it interesting in the bottom of the inning, however.

Petschke had gotten out of bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the 9th, but put the first three runners on via a single and two walks in the 10th. Carson Paetow then grounded out to drive in a run and make it 4-2 with one out and men on second and third.

Petschke then struck out Blake Johnson and got Matthew Etzel to fly out to left and end the game. Petschke (6-3) worked four innings, allowing a run on three hits with four walks (one intentional) and three strikeouts to pick up the win.

“I was confident, it happens all the time,” Petschke said of his final inning. “I don’t know why, it’s not on purpose. But I found a way to get through it.”

Said David, “The official term is ‘Petschke Time.’ Generally speaking, when we win all these one- and two-run games, it’s with the bases loaded and one out or second- and third, no outs, and we get a strikeout or get the other guy out. But once the chaos reigns, he just clamps down.”

Southern Miss’ first run came on Dickerson’s sacrifice fly in the fifth, but the Golden Eagles couldn’t manage another timely hit against Cravey and Petschke. USM had eight hits and drew nine walks, but left 14 runners on base.

Rodriguez went 2-for-4 including his 12th home run, while Staton was 4-for-5 with two RBIs. Hall — whose season ERA dropped to 2.02 after Friday’s effort — held the Bulldogs down in the later innings by inducing groundball double plays in the sixth, eighth and ninth innings.

“Congratulate Samford on getting the win and being able to grind that thing out,” Southern Miss coach Scott Berry said. “Both teams were in a position to win it, Samford just came out a little better than we did.

“… We just didn’t do enough offensively. I’m real proud of Tanner and the way he pitched and the way we played defensively. We were able to minimize their scoring opportunities for nine innings, but not in the 10th.”