Southern Miss played South Alabama a day late, and came up a run short.

Jordan Patterson drove in three runs, Nolan Earley went 3-for-4 and scored twice, and South Alabama used a surge in the middle innings to beat Southern Miss, 8-7, on Wednesday night. The game was postponed one day by rain.

South Alabama scored two runs in each of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Nick Zaharion scored on a ground out by Hunt Griffith in the bottom of the fifth to give South Alabama (14-23) the lead for good, then Robby Campbell added an RBI single for a 6-4 lead.

USM’s Connor Barron cut the deficit to one with an RBI single in the sixth inning, but South Alabama plated two more runs in the bottom half of the frame to stay comfortably in front.

The Jaguars scored on a bases-loaded walk and a wild pitch.

Southern Miss (20-16) had 14 hits, but lost its third straight game. Blake Brown, Mason Robbins and Ashley Graeter all went 3-for-5.

Alabama 8-3, Miss. Valley St. 0-8

Mississippi Valley State (9-29) made history Wednesday by beating Alabama 8-3 in the second game of a doubleheader in Tuscaloosa. It was Valley’s first win in 17 meetings with Alabama (14-24), and also the first time one of the school’s men’s teams has beaten a Southeastern Conference opponent in any sport.

David Lostra allowed one run in six innings for the Delta Devils. He gave up two hits and three walks.

MVSU took a 2-1 lead on Demetrins Bonner’s RBI single in the fourth inning, then scored six times in the fifth to blow the game open.