The Golden Eagles softball team (13-20, C-USA 4-5) swept the University of Texas at El Paso Miners (11-21, C-USA 1-8) this past weekend in a three-game series. The three conference wins push Southern Miss one game from .500 in C-USA play and tied it for eighth in conference standings.
Game one of Saturday’s double- header was dominated by Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles recorded six hits on the night and managed to score in five of the six innings played. Southern Miss did not record a run in the bottom of the second inning but responded in the third with eight stolen bases and two runs to push the lead, 4-0.
Third baseman Alyssa Davis recorded a two-run homer, her second of the season, to left field to push the lead to 7-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Sarah Van Schaik’s RBI-single in the bottom of the sixth brought home the final run for Southern Miss to record the six- inning run-rule win, 8-0.
In game two, Southern Miss managed to score in three consecutive innings to pull out the 3-1 victory. Five Golden Eagles recorded a hit on the night and second baseman Chase Nelson recorded two. While offense was no problem for Southern Miss, the efficient pitching proved to be the biggest factor of the day.
“Feels good for our pitches to be back doing what Southern Miss pitching is supposed to do,” Head Coach Wendy Hogue said. “They needed to hit spots and that’s exactly what they did today.”
Pitchers Jillian Johnson and Samantha Robles took the circle for the Golden Eagles, and both delivered. Johnson recorded two strikeouts and no runs against the 24 batters she faced. Her efforts improved her season record to 2-3. Robles faced 27 batters, recorded 8 strikeouts, allowed one run and four hits in the seven innings she pitched. Robles recorded her sixth win of the season, improving her record to 6-8.
In game three, Southern Miss fell behind in the top of the third inning, 1-0. Southern Miss scored a run to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth, Ciarra Cherry delivered a RBI-double to give the Golden Eagles its first lead of the contest, 2-1. Cherry then delivered a homerun to left center in the fifth inning that solidified the 4-1 victory. Cherry finished the game a triple shy of the cycle.
Southern Miss looks to continue its winning streak as it travels to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday to face LSU. The matchup is set for 6 p.m.
