The Golden Eagles softball team hosted conference opponent UAB in a three games series with a doubleheader on Saturday and the final match on Sunday. The Golden Eagles won the first match-up 6-3, and would drop the next two contests 7-1 and 3-2.
Saturday’s games proved to show both strengths and weaknesses of the Golden Eagles’ batting and fielding as both USM and UAB managed to take home a win each. In the first match-up, USM racked in seven hits and produced all of their points in the third inning.
Samantha Reynolds started the rally for the Golden Eagles as she singled to left center field. Morgan Mckeever then singled to the right side to advance Reynolds to third base. Tori Dew stepped to the plate and delivered a double to right center field that brought Reynolds and McKeever home to score. The dominate ending would not stop there.
After Dew’s double, Katie Cleary homered and brought both her and Dew home to put Southern Miss on top, 4-0.
After two fielding errors by UAB, Bailey Stokes singled up the middle and brought home two unearned runs giving Southern Miss another comfortable lead, 6-0.
UAB scored two more points in the top of the fifth inning, but their efforts would not be enough as Southern Miss took the contest 6-3.
The tides would turn for the Golden Eagles in the second contest of the day. Just like their dominate hitting in one inning in the first game, UAB took that advantage in this game. In the fifth inning, the Blazers produced five runs on five hits. Each batter who contributed a hit for UAB contributed an RBI as well. The hot inning for UAB proved to be enough as they took this contest, 7-1.
After splitting the series on Saturday, both teams came into Sunday’s matchup looking to take the overall series.
UAB came into the contest able to score a run in the first three innings. The productive swinging of the Blazers allowed an early lead, 3-0. The hot start would not impede the Golden Eagles’ efforts as Tori Dew and Lauren Holifield both produced home runs in the bottom of the third inning to cut the lead, 3-2 Dew and Holifield’s efforts would not be enough as UAB took the game, and the series 2-1.
“We need to improve on the little things,” said coach Wendy Hogue. “Getting bunts down [and] stop leaving runners on base are things we need to do, but we did not.”
Southern Miss looks to bounce back as they travel to Boca Raton, FL Thursday to take on Florida Atlantic University.
