University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Softball Hosts Intrastate Foe Mississippi State
3/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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Southern Miss Softball Hosts Intrastate Foe Mississippi State
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss softball team steps out of conference for the first of two, single games against intrastate rival Mississippi State at home on Wednesday.
The Lady Eagles (14-17, 3-3 in Conference USA) host the Bulldogs (20-16, 2-10 in Southeastern Conference) in a single game at the Southern Miss Softball complex beginning at 6 p.m. The two teams then face each other again in the Second Annual M&F Fastpitch Classic, Tuesday, April 6, in Ridgeland, Miss.
Southern Miss enters the single game after dropping a three-game C-USA series on the road against No. 21 USF, while Mississippi State also fell in a three-game league series, losing to No. 14 Tennessee in Starkville.
Wednesday's game marks the 29th meeting all-time between the two programs, with the Bulldogs holding a 20-8 series advantage. The two teams play twice last season, a 3-1 Mississippi State win in the season opener and an 8-5 Southern Miss win in the inaugural M&F Bank Fastpitch Classic.
Junior leftfielder Diane Hammes leads the team in batting with a .330 average and in hits (30), while ranking second in RBIs (15) and tied for second in home run (3). Hammes also is on an eight-game hitting streak for the Lady Eagles, the longest current mark. Sophomore first baseman Ashley Davis and senior centerfielder Auriel Jenkins follow with .315 and .314 averages, respectively. Davis leads the team in RBIs (17) and is second in hits (29), while Jenkins has 22 hits and nine RBIs.
In the circle, senior Jessica Holaway has a team-high 18 appearances for a 5-5 record with one save in 81.1 innings of work. Holaway also holds a 3.70 ERA, 21 walks and 51 strikeouts. Senior Danielle Hatfield remains on top with a 3.58 ERA, while also sporting a 4-3 record and 30 strikeouts. Sophomore Danielle Wymer has a 3-5 mark, 16 strikeouts and a 7.32 ERA, while freshman Jessica Saunier holds a 2-4 record, 16 strikeouts and a 7.25 ERA.
For the Bulldogs, Iyhia McMichael sports a team-best .439 batting average while also leading in runs (42), hits (47), doubles (8), triples (8), home runs (7) and RBIs (30). Jennifer Waterman follows with a .373 batting average and 29 RBIs, and Kate Jaspers is third with a .359 hitting mark and 17 RBIs.
Stephanie Comeaux clings to a 1.98 ERA and a 6-3 record in the circle, while Melissa Massey is 8-7 with a 2.13 ERA and Kelli Miller is 5-6 with a 2.28 ERA.
Following the midweek game, the Lady Eagles take back to the road for its third C-USA series of the season, facing Houston in a pair of games Saturday and a single game on Sunday.
