Southern Miss
Louisiana Tech
Errors Costly as Softball Falls to LA Tech
3/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss softball team committed a pair of errors which led to three unearned runs for Louisiana Tech as the Golden Eagles dropped the final game of a Conference USA series to the Lady Techsters, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
The Golden Eagles (15-14, 1-8 C-USA) matched the Lady Techsters (19-8, 4-2 C-USA) with four hits on the day, but the Black and Gold's two miscues led directly to LA Tech runs.
Katie Cleary led the team with three hits on the day, finishing the day 3-for-3. Shelbee Rodgers attempted to help her own cause with a base hit. Morgan McKeever was hit by a pitch to also reach base for the Golden Eagles.
In the circle, Rodgers tossed a complete game, taking the hard-luck loss. The senior allowed three unearned runs on four hits in 7.0 innings of work. She walked just two and struck out a pair.
Louisiana Tech took the lead with a run in the top of the second inning. The leadoff batter reached on a fielding error by Southern Miss to place a runner on base. The next batter dropped a bloop single just inside the left field line to move the go-ahead run into scoring position. The Golden Eagles used a fielder's choice to record the first out of the inning, leaving runners on the corners. The Lady Techsters attempted a double steal that saw the trail runner get caught stealing for the second out. On the play, the lead runner came in to score and give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
The Lady Techsters increased their lead with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning. With one out, LA Tech used a fielding error by the Golden Eagles to place a runner on first. With two outs, Louisiana Tech's Anna Cross hit a two-run home run to push the advantage to 3-0.
The score remained 3-0 as neither team could plate a run in the final two-plus innings.
Southern Miss continues its homestand with a doubleheader against in-state foe Mississippi State on Wednesday at the Softball Complex. First pitch for the doubleheader is slated for 4:00 p.m. Live stats, live video and in-game tweets (@SouthernMissSB) will be available throughout the games.
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