Southern Miss
Cal State Northridge
Softball Drops Two On Final Day of DeMarini Invitational
3/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 6, 2011
Box Score | Box Score in PDF Format 
FULLERTON, Calif. - The Southern Miss softball team dropped its final two games in the DeMarini Invitational with a 14-6 loss to UC Santa Barbara in five innings and 7-3 to Cal State Northridge.
In the first game, the Gauchos batted around in the opening frame to score six runs on three hits. The Eagles committed two errors in the inning.
Southern Miss cut the lead to two with a four-run inning in the fourth. Michelle Takeda singled and Chanell Thurman doubled to put runners at second and third with two outs. Mackenzie Sher drew a walk and Brittany Lilly's single plated two runs and put Sher at third. An illegal pitch pushed Sher across and Lilly got to third. Another illegal pitch sent Lilly home.
UCSB got all four runs back in the third, then, added three more in the fourth in taking a 13-4 lead. The Golden Eagles were able to shave off two runs in the home half of the fourth as Britney Dinelt led off with a single and Thurman walked. Lilly had a hard hit down third base line that got past the third baseman for a single and scored Dinelt. USM loaded the bases on a LeJune base hit and Taylor Brown followed with a single to score Thurman. The starting pitcher for UCSB, Krista Cobb, was able to get out of the inning with a strikeout and a pop-out to first.
The Gauchos added a run in the top of the fifth when Keilani Jennings homered. Southern Miss failed to add a run that would allow the game past five innings.
Courtney Ramos (1-3) who started the game for Southern Miss took the loss, lasting only 1.1 innings. Gabby Luciani came in relief and worked 1.1 innings before being relieved by Dinelt, who finished the final 2.1 innings.
Cobb (4-3) scattered seven hits over five innings to earn the win.
Game two was a slugfest as both teams combined for 25 hits. Junior shortstop Chanell Thurman led the Golden Eagles (8-13), going 3 for 3. Freshmen Brittany Lilly and Taylor Brown added two hits apiece.
Southern Miss struck first with a run in the second inning. Christina Roosmalen drew a walk, moved to second on a sac bunt and scored on Lilly's single. The Golden Eagles missed an opportunity to add any runs with the bases loaded and only one out.
Northridge answered with two runs in the visitor half of the third. Karla Chaparro and Jennifer Mosier had back-to-back singles to start the inning and moved up 60 feet on a sacrifice bunt. Jaci Carlsen single plated both runs for the 2-1 lead.
CSUN tacked on additional runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 4-1 lead. Southern Miss got a run back in the home half of the sixth after putting together three consecutive base hits. Thurman singled down the left field line, followed by a Danielle LaPointe pinch hit single and Lilly's base hit to right. Pinch runner Stephanie was able to get home off a LeJune sac fly to center. The Northridge defense made a couple of nice plays to limit the Eagles to only one run in the inning.
The Matadors padded their lead with three runs in the top of the seventh using four hits.
The inning brought only one more run when Jill Mathis scored off a Thurman's single. USM had missed opportunities as it stranded 12 runners on base.
Southern Miss starter Beth Dietrich (3-6) took the loss, while Hannah Fraijo (5-2) got the complete game win for the Matadors.
The Golden Eagles will return home to host LSU on Mar. 16 in a 6 p.m. contest at the USM Softball Complex.
