South Alabama’s baseball frustrations continued on Friday night, with the latest heartbreaker a 6-5, 11-inning defeat to Southern Miss before a near-capacity crowd of 4,017 at Stanky Field.

The loss in the opener of a three-game series drops the Jaguars to 16-14 overall, 3-7 in the Sun Belt Conference. South Alabama left 10 runners on base, and could score after getting the winning run to second with one out in the 10th inning.

Southern Miss, meanwhile, scored its final two runs — one in the ninth and one in the 11th — on hits that narrowly missed being caught. The Golden Eagles improve to 19-11, 7-3.

Southern Miss took a 4-0 lead in the third inning, before South Alabama scored four of its own to help send the game to extra innings. Ethan Melton singled home two runs in the third to make it 4-2, then Joseph Sullivan tied it with a two-run, line-drive homer to right in the sixth.

The Golden Eagles went on top 5-4 in the top of the ninth after Dalton McIntyre singled and stole second on a play on which it appeared the throw beat him to the bag, but South Alabama shortstop JG Bell could not get the tag down. One out later, Slade Wilks lined an RBI double off the tip of the glove of a leaping Sullivan in left.

Sullivan doubled to lead off the bottom of the ninth, then stole third. Brennan Holt’s two-out RBI single past second base scored Sullivan and tied it at 5-5 after nine innings.

Both teams were scoreless in the 10th, then Southern Miss converted Gabe Broadus’ one-out walk into the eventual winning run. With two outs, Ozzie Pratt blooped a ball between Sullivan, Bell and center fielder Will Turner in shallow left-center.

Sullivan dove for the ball, which deflected off his glove and rolled away. That allowed Broadus to score all the way from first and make the score 6-5.

Sullivan and Turner both hit scorching line drives into the shift for outs in the bottom of the 10th, then Lucas Ismaili struck out to end the game. Southern Miss closer Colby Allen (4-2) got the win, allowing a run on three hits in three innings.

Sullivan led South Alabama at the plate with three hits and three runs scored. The Jaguars also made numerous fine defensive plays, including diving catches by Melton in right in the third and Turner in center in the fourth, as well as Bell’s sliding catch behind the dugout in the seventh.

South Alabama starter Carson Swilling worked into the sixth, allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Southern Miss scored three in the third on McIntyre’s RBI single and Wilks’ two-run single, then scored again on Tucker Stockman’s RBI single in the fourth.

Eric Lin relieved Swilling and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless, one-hit innings before Seth Carter took over in the ninth. Carter (2-1) surrendered two runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout in three innings to take the loss.

Southern Miss starter Niko Mazza didn’t make it out of the fourth inning, allowing two runs on three hits with five walks and four strikeouts. Lefty Kros Sibley went the next five innings, allowing two runs on two hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

South Alabama left the bases loaded in the second inning, and two men on in the third, fourth and fifth. The Jaguars finished with eight hits total, only Sullivan’s double and homer for extra bases.

The three-game series continues with Game 2 at 2 p.m. Saturday.