University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Lady Eagles Hold Final Home Doubleheader Against La.-Lafayette
4/29/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Lady Eagles Hold Final Home Doubleheader Against La.-Lafayette
One final home date will be held at the Southern Miss Softball Complex before the 2002 season comes to a close. No. 19 Louisiana-Lafayette will come to Hattiesburg for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 30, beginning at 5 p.m.
Before the team introductions, Lady Eagle seniors Channika Gant, Felicia Gonzales, Kristie Martin and Kenya Peters will be honored with a special recognition, as they will compete in their final home game at Southern Miss.
Louisiana-Lafayette (44-11) leads the overall series against Southern Miss, 25-3, dating back to 1987, when the Lady Eagles originally started fastpitch softball and played ULL in the first-ever game, losing 9-0 on Feb. 26.
The Lady Eagles (25-30) are 2-1 since the program was reinstated in 1999, claiming both wins that season, 3-0 and 8-4. Southern Miss experienced a 5-1 loss against the Ragin? Cajuns last season, in the NCAA Regionals.
The Cajuns have clinched the Sun Belt Conference regular season title with a 15-1 league record. They have won 16 of their last 17 games.
Boasting a .306 team batting average, Louisiana-Lafayette features Becky McMurtry leading the squad at .420 with 14 home runs and 51 RBIs. Jerie Alexander follows with a .365 average and 24 stolen bases in 28 attempts.
The Cajuns like the long ball with 70 home runs belted this season. Alana Addison leads the bashers with 15 homers, as she is batting .335 with 50 RBIs, and Missy Martin claims 13 homers with a .319 average and 45 RBIs.
Melissa Coronado leads the pitchers with a .176 ERA. She is 12-2 on the year with 76 strikeouts. Brooke Mitchell carries the most wins with a 17-5 record and has thrown a 1.79 ERA with 141 strikeouts.
The Lady Eagles are looking to end their longest losing streak since 1992. They have lost eight-straight, and all have come to nationally-ranked opponents, including No. 15 Alabama, No. 4 LSU and No. 18 DePaul.
Gant and Peters lead the team in batting, each stroking a .270 average. Jessica Holaway leads the team in pitching with a 12-11 record, 2.20 ERA and 113 strikeouts.
Southern Miss will travel to Charlotte, N.C., this weekend, ending its regular season in a three-game series against the Charlotte 49ers. A doubleheader will be held on Saturday, May 6, at 11 a.m. (CST), and a single game will start at noon, Sunday, May 7.
All three games will feature a ?live stats? broadcast on SouthernMiss.com.
