University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Softball Hosts Ole Miss, Louisiana Tech
3/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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Game Notes
Southern Miss Softball Hosts Ole Miss, Louisiana Tech
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- After not playing a game in nearly a week, the Southern Miss softball team resumes its 12-game homestand with a pair of home doubleheaders against Ole Miss and Louisiana Tech, Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
The Lady Eagles (11-13) come into the competition after dropping an 8-0 decision to No. 4 LSU on Wednesday. The Lady Rebels (6-16) enter off a 2-1 series win over Kentucky last weekend in Oxford, Miss. The Lady Techsters, who earlier defeated Southern Miss, 4-0, in the LSU Purple and Gold Challenge in February, are 11-11, recently topped Centenary 2-1 and hosts Northwestern (La.) State before visiting Hattiesburg.
Both doubleheaders begin at 5 p.m., with the second game starting at approximately 7 p.m.
Senior outfielder Heather Bell continues to lead the Lady Eagle offense, holding on to a .364 batting average and a team-best 15 runs scored. Ashley Davis and Ashley Brenan both share the high hit mark with 22 apiece, while Davis ranks second in hitting (.319) and leads in RBIs (14). Diane Hammes is fourth with a .308 batting average, and Auriel Jenkins and Brenan follow with .306 averages. Brenan is tops on the team in doubles (9), triples (2) and total bases (35).
Seniors Danielle Hatfield and Jessica Holaway lead the team in pitching, with Hatfield sporting a 4-3 record and Holaway a 4-4 mark. Hatfield has a team-low 3.58 ERA and 30 strikeouts. Holaway has a 4.49 ERA and is tops with 38 strikeouts this season.
Mandy Ott and DeDe Justice anchor the Ole Miss offense, batting .311 and .305, respectively. Justice is tied for the team lead in hits (18) with Britte Hardy, while also leading all players in home runs (7) and RBIs (20). In the circle, Mary Jane Callahan has a 5-7 record with a 1.18 ERA and 86 strikeouts. Dana Brill holds a 1.79 ERA with 39 strikeouts and a 1-6 mark.
Brittany Stanley has a .352 batting average to lead Louisiana Tech and is second on the team with 19 hits. Amber Miles holds the team lead in hits with 23 and also is tops in runs scored with 12. Marla Pinkston is 7-8 with a 1.63 ERA and a team-best 65 strikeouts, topping all Louisiana Tech pitchers.
Following the two doubleheaders, Southern Miss picks up Conference USA play on the road, visiting Tampa, Fla., to take on No. 18 USF in a three-game series this weekend. The series features a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.
