Lady Eagles Host No. 11 LSU
4/14/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Lady Eagles Host No. 11 LSU
Heather Bell has batted .342 in the last 15 games. The junior has hit safely in six of the last eight games. |
Date: Wednesday, April 16, 6 p.m.
Location: Southern Miss Softball Complex (500)
Media: Live Stats on SouthernMiss.com
Series Record: LSU leads, 8-4
HATTIESBURG, Miss ? The Southern Miss softball team faces 11th-ranked LSU on Wednesday, April 16, in a single game, starting at 6 p.m., at the Southern Miss Softball Complex. The game will have Live Stats on SouthernMiss.com.
The contest will be the second meeting of the season between the Tigers and the Lady Eagles. LSU defeated Southern Miss, 3-0, in the Purple & Gold Challenge on March 1, in Baton Rouge, La. The Tigers have won the last six games against the Lady Eagles and hold an 8-4 advantage.
Southern Miss holds a three-game winning streak, after sweeping Charlotte in a three-game series last weekend. Wednesday?s contest will be the Lady Eagles? fourth-consecutive home game, which is the longest string of home games that Southern Miss has enjoyed.
In the 11 games played at the Southern Miss Softball Complex, the Lady Eagles are batting .268 and hold a 7-4 record. They have won five of their last six home games.
Sarah Boyd and Amanda Brown are battling for the team?s top hitter title. Boyd holds a .270 average with eight runs scored, seven doubles, two home runs and 17 RBIs. Brown is swatting a .269 average with 12 runs scored, five doubles, one triple, one home run and seven RBIs.
Heather Bell?s hitting is progressing. In the last 15 games, the junior is batting .342, improving her season average from .228 to .261. During that span, she collected a perfect 3-for-3 hitting performance against nationally-ranked South Florida, a clutch game-winning triple against Arkansas that cleared the bases in the top of the sixth and has hit safely in six of the last eight contests.
Jessica Holaway tops the team?s pitching charts with a 2.10 ERA and a 10-12 record. The junior was in the circle the last time Southern Miss faced LSU, as she surrendered four hits and two walks and did not yield an earned run. In 25 appearances, Holaway has three saves, five shutouts, 41 walks and 90 strikeouts.
LSU is enjoying a seven-game winning streak, which includes four-straight shutouts. The Tigers have not lost to a non-conference opponent since falling to Houston, 4-0, on March 1.
Sara Fitzgerald leads the Tiger hitters with a .309 average. She has 28 runs, 13 doubles, one triple, three home runs and 29 RBIs. Tessa Lynam follows with a .303 batting average and claims 20 runs, eight doubles, four home runs and 26 RBIs.
Pitching ace Kristin Schmidt is 20-9 on the year with a 0.90 ERA. In 33 appearances, she recorded nine shutouts, three saves, 53 walks and 200 strikeouts.
The Lady Eagles take to the road for a three-game series this weekend at Saint Louis. They will face the Billikens in a doubleheader on Friday, April 18, at 1 p.m., and in a single game on Saturday, April 19, at 1 p.m. None of the weekend?s games will have Live Stats on SouthernMiss.com.