University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Softball Plays in Purple and Gold Challenge This Weekend
2/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 28, 2008
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - A trip to Baton Rouge this weekend for the Southern Miss softball team, highlighted by a game against No. 9 LSU, will be the final regular-season tournament for the squad in 2008 as they participate in the Easton Purple and Gold Challenge.
The schedule starts Friday with the Lady Eagles (9-7) facing the host Lady Tigers at 3:45 p.m. Tournament play continues Saturday for Southern Miss as they meet Penn State (11:15 a.m.) and South Alabama (6 p.m.). The Sunday schedule will be dictated on how the Lady Eagles do on the two previous days.
Southern Miss looks to snap a current four-game losing streak when they take on the 10-3 Lady Tigers, who defeated Louisiana-Monroe 9-3 in its latest outing.
The Lady Eagles also play a Penn State team that is riding a three-game winning streak into the tournament and boast a 3-3 mark, while South Alabama is 7-6 after defeating Southern Miss, 3-0, in Mobile on Wednesday night.
Senior Jennifer Fox paces Southern Miss on offense. The third baseman leads the squad in batting average with a .376 to go along with a home run and 11 RBIs. Sophomore Megan Hill paces the team in RBIs with 12 to go along with a team-best two home runs and a .347 batting average.
Junior catcher Kristin Pilgrim has notched a .292 batting average with a homer and 11 RBIs and senior shortstop Kristin Chaney is at .297 with a pair of runs driven in.
Five Lady Eagles have posted a 2.31 earned run average as a staff with junior Samantha Davis (2-3) leading the way with a 1.66 ERA and a team-best 26 strikeouts to go along with just 12 walks. Freshman Lana Vaughn is next at 1.96 as she has team's best pitching mark of 3-1, while fellow freshman Meghan Harbuck (2-1) has sported an ERA of 2.55. Senior Shea Naramore (1-1) is at 3.23 and freshman Hannah Griffin (1-1) holds a 3.50 earned run average.
Following this weekend's play, the Lady Eagles return home for a Wednesday, March 5, doubleheader against McNeese State. Game time is set for 5 p.m., at Southern Miss Softball Complex.
