Southern Miss worked the night shift, then the day shift at the Conference USA Tournament.

They’re just happy they’ll get to work another one.

Connor Barron’s RBI single in the top of the 12th inning broke a scoreless tie, another run came in on the misplayed hit, and the Golden Eagles hung on to beat Old Dominion 2-0 in an elimination game Thursday afternoon at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg.

“Hats off to both sides, both clubs,” Southern Miss coach Scott Berry said. “The players, the kids, the coaches, they all competed very hard, and fortunately, we came out on top.”

The victory kept Southern Miss’ tournament, and potentially its season, alive. It’ll play another elimination game against either Florida Atlantic or UAB tonight at 6:30.

Florida Atlantic and UAB were scheduled to play the late game Thursday, but it was postponed until today at 11 a.m. because of weather delays.

The Golden Eagles (36-17-1) are also on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. A two-and-out performance this week certainly would not have helped their cause for an at-large bid.

“Huge. Huge. I think it was absolutely huge,” Berry said. “There’s a lot of people who keep telling me, ‘Well, you’re in, you’re in,’ and I don’t think they know what they’re talking about.

“I think that there’s no doubt that we have to continue to win to prove our case because we can’t control what’s going on in the other conferences and what upsets are taking place. All we can control is ourselves.”

Southern Miss played the late game Wednesday against UAB. It was delayed more than two hours by rain and the tournament schedule, and finally suspended at 1:30 a.m. when more rain rolled through the area.

UAB led 3-0 when the game resumed Thursday, and went on to win 4-0 to end Southern Miss’ 13-game winning streak and send it into the elimination game with Old Dominion immediately afterward.

USM ace James McMahon pitched 8 2/3 shutout innings, and the bullpen carried it on through the 12th inning. McMahon, the Conference USA Pitcher of the Year, allowed five hits, walked one and struck out five.

Ryan Milton, Luke Lowery and Nick Johnson (4-0) finished the Golden Eagles’ 10th shutout of the season.

Old Dominion starter Adam Bainbridge walked one batter and allowed nine hits in 8 1/3 innings.

“We had gone 20 innings before we scored a run,” Berry said. “(UAB’s James) Naile last night and then (Bainbridge) handcuffed us pretty good. We had some hits, but we didn’t have a run to show for it until those two-out hits in that last inning.”

Sterling started the winning rally with a single to left, then stole second. Nick Dawson followed with a walk to put runners at first and second with two outs.

Barron followed with his single through the right side. Sterling scored easily, and Dawson hustled around from first when Old Dominion right fielder Nick Walker misplayed the ball.

Walker charged the ball to make a throw to the plate on Sterling, and the ball went under his glove.

“The young man in right was probably trying to throw Sterling out at the plate,” Berry said. “It was do or die. There was no holding (up Sterling at third base) by me, I can tell you, and (Walker) knew that, too.”

In other C-USA tournament games on Thursday, Middle Tennessee eliminated top-seeded Rice, 6-5, and No. 8 seed Florida International routed Texas-San Antonio 15-5.

It’s only the second time in the 20 years of the C-USA Tournament that a top seed has been eliminated after two games. Rice had suffered the same fate in 2008, before moving on to the College World Series.

Florida International (27-29) moved into Saturday’s bracket championship, awaiting the winner of today’s elimination game between UTSA and Middle Tennessee.

FIU needs one victory Saturday to earn a spot in Sunday’s championship game.

Conference USA Tournament

Thursday

Game 4 – UAB 4, Southern Miss 0

Game 5 – Middle Tennessee 6, Rice 5

Game 6 – Southern Miss 2, Old Dominion 0, 12 innings

Game 7 – Florida International 15, UTSA 5

Friday

Game 8 – Florida Atlantic vs. UAB, 11 a.m.

Game 9 – Middle Tennessee vs. UTSA, 3 p.m.

Game 10 – Southern Miss vs. FAU-UAB loser, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday

Game 11 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, 9 a.m.

Game 12 – Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 10, 12:30 p.m.

x-Game 13 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, 4 p.m.

x-Game 14 – Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 10, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday

Championship game, Noon