University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Softball To Host McNeese State In Doubleheader Tuesday
2/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 27, 2006
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss softball team will play its third and fourth home game of the season on Tuesday, hosting McNeese State in a doubleheader set for 4 and 6 p.m., for two of the nine games the team will play this week.
The game can be heard on the Southern Miss ISP Sports Network on SouthernMiss.com, with Jason Baker providing the play-by-play. Live stats will also be available.
This will be the third and fourth meeting between the two schools this season, as Southern Miss won a pair of games, 8-6 and 11-2 in the Ragin' Cajun Classic on Feb. 18 and 19. Southern Miss leads the overall series 13-4, and have won the 11 of the past 12 meetings.
Southern Miss enters the game with an 8-10 overall record, following a 4-1 record last week, which included a 3-2 victory over No. 7 Alabama on Wednesday. The Lady Eagles have won seven of their last nine games.
So far this season, Southern Miss hits .234 as a team, with 98 hits, 70 runs, 27 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 55 RBI, 44 walks and 28 stolen bases.
Sophomore Jennifer Fox leads the team with a .383 batting average and is on a seven-game hitting streak. Fox also leads the team with 18 hits and is tied for the lead in RBI (eight) and home runs (one). Senior Charity Butler has a team-high six doubles, while sophomore Allison Bullard and senior Ashley Davis are tied with Fox for the team lead in RBI (eight). Senior Ashley Brenan has a team-high 11 walks and nine stolen bases on the year and is tied with Bullard, Butler and senior Jessica Huerta with a team-best 10 runs scored.
In the circle, Southern Miss has a 4.09 ERA, with 11 complete games and three shutouts. The staff has thrown 113 innings, allowed 110 hits, 74 runs, 6 earned, walked 81 and struck out 95. Opposing teams hit .257 against the staff this season.
Freshman Lacey Gros has a team-best 5-5 record and six complete games. She has thrown a staff-best 63 innings, allowed 55 hits, 39 runs, 33 earned, walked 43 and struck out 65. Teams are hitting .232 against her on the year. Gros got the win against No. 7 Alabama, allowing four hits and two runs, one earned, striking out five.
Senior Danielle Wymer and Gros are tied for the team-lead in ERA (3.67). Wymer has a 3-3 record and has won her last three starts, while posting a team-best two shutouts. Both of her shutouts came in the Jacksonville/Best Western Invitational, as she one hit IPFW, while striking out six, before two-hitting Armstrong Atlantic on Saturday, striking out 10, the second most of her career.
McNeese State enters the game with a 4-7 record and is on a three-game winning streak.
The Cowgirls hit .261 as a team, with 76 hits, 38 runs, 15 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 34 RBI. Rachael Phillips leads the team with a .419 batting average, 13 hits, eight runs scored and two home runs. Phillips is tied with Kristi Hana with eight RBI on the season.
In the circle, McNeese State has a 4.42 ERA, with six complete games and one shutout. In 71 innings pitched, the staff has allowed 76 hits, 63 runs, 45 earned, 41 walks and 55 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .267 against them this season.
Jessica Denham leads the staff with a 2-3 record, 3.03 ERA and four complete games. In 32.1 innings pitched, she has allowed 38 hits, 23 runs, 14 earned, walked eight and struck out 30.
Following Tuesday's doubleheader, Southern Miss travels to Pensacola, Fla., on Wednesday for a 6 p.m., contest against No. 17 Auburn on the campus of the University of West Florida. The Lady Eagles then travel to Gainesville on Thursday to compete in the University of Florida hosted Gator Invitational.
