HATTIESBURG, Miss. (Interstat) — Kyle Johnson’s two-run home run in the top of the 10th inning capped a four-run outburst that lifted Virginia to a 15-11 victory over Southern Mississippi on Saturday afternoon at Pete Taylor Park.

The Cavaliers improved to 37-22, while the Golden Eagles fell to 44-17.

Virginia jumped ahead early. RJ Holmes doubled and scored on a single by AJ Gracia in the first inning. Southern Mississippi answered in the second when Tucker Stockman crushed a three-run homer to center field, putting the Golden Eagles ahead 3-1.

Joe Tiroly responded for Virginia in the third with a three-run homer of his own, regaining the lead at 4-3. But Davis Gillespie matched that with a three-run shot in the bottom half, sending Southern Mississippi back in front 6-4.

The Cavaliers seized control in the fourth. Johnson singled, Sam Harris singled and Noah Murray bunted for a hit to load the bases. Holmes then singled home Johnson, and Gracia followed with a triple that cleared the bases, scoring Harris, Murray and Holmes. Tiroly’s groundout brought home Gracia, giving Virginia a 9-6 advantage.

Southern Mississippi chipped away. Gillespie doubled in a run in the sixth, and Drey Barrett singled to drive in another, trimming the deficit to 9-8. Virginia answered in the seventh on Murray’s run-scoring single and another RBI single by Gracia, making it 11-8.

The Golden Eagles tied the game in the eighth. Barrett singled in a run, and Stockman doubled to right-center, scoring two more to knot the contest at 11-11. Virginia stranded a runner in the ninth, sending the game to extra innings.

In the top of the 10th, Gracia doubled to center. Tiroly walked, and Harrison Didawick walked to load the bases. After Jake Weatherspoon grounded into a double play that forced pinch-runner Bryce Neely out at home, Zach Jackson singled through the left side to score Tiroly and Didawick. Johnson then hit his home run to center, pushing the lead to 15-11.

Max Stammel closed out the bottom of the 10th, striking out Gillespie and Matthew Russo and getting Barrett to fly out to right.

Gracia finished with four hits, including a triple and a double, and drove in four runs. Tiroly had three RBIs. Stockman drove in five runs for Southern Mississippi, with a home run and a double. Gillespie also homered and doubled, collecting four RBIs.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Southern Mississippi 7, Virginia 5, and its ELO system gave the Golden Eagles a 53.70 percent probability to win. Southern Mississippi had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5.