Southern Miss
UAB
Softball Battles Blazers, Weather in Doubleheader
4/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 2)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Southern Miss softball team battled UAB and the elements on Saturday afternoon but ultimately dropped a Conference USA doubleheader. The Golden Eagles were edged 3-2 in game one before falling 8-2 to the Blazers in game two.
As a team, the Golden Eagles recorded 16 hits on the day, including nine base hits in game one. Michelle Stringer and Samantha Reynolds each had three hits apiece, while Selena Estrada, Mallory Hayden and Morgan McKeever added a pair of hits each. Arielle Pollock, Kaelyn Christofferson, Katie Cleary and Shelbee Rodgers all had one hit. Pollock led the team with two RBI, while Stringer and Rodgers each drove in a run. Reynolds, Estrada, Hayden and Peyton Garner scored the runs for the Golden Eagles.
In the first game, Reynolds and Estrada each notched multiple hits with Estrada lacing a double. The second game saw Stringer post a multiple hit game, tallying a pair of hits.
In game one, Rodgers took the hard-luck loss. The senior scattered eight hits over 6.0 innings of work. Rodgers surrendered three runs on the day, walking one and striking out one.
Danielle Block took the circle to start game two. The sophomore allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk in 3.0 innings before the game was halted due to weather. She was relieved by Jillian Johnson who surrendered five runs (three earned runs) on seven hits in 2.1 innings. Emily Wood closed out the game with 0.2 scoreless innings.
Southern Miss and UAB conclude the series with a single game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at the UAB Softball Field. Live stats, live video and in-game tweets (@SouthernMissSB) will be available throughout the game.
Game 1 Recap
In game one, the Golden Eagles played tough and were edged 3-2 by the home Blazers.
Southern Miss jumped out to an early lead, plating two runs in the top of the second inning. With one out, Hayden singled to center field. She advanced to third as Estrada double to right center field. Stringer put the Golden Eagles on the scoreboard with a RBI single to right field. Rodgers helped her own cause with a RBI single through the right side of the infield to put the Black and Gold ahead 2-0.
In the bottom of the inning, UAB chipped into the lead with a run. With two outs, the Blazers used a single and a walk to place a pair of runners on base. UAB cut the Southern Miss lead in half with a RBI double to left center field. Rodgers induced a popup to shortstop to end the inning, 2-1.
The Blazers tied the game in the bottom of the third inning. The leadoff batter singled to short and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. A second single of the inning tied the score at 2-2. The Golden Eagles used a fly ball to center field and a pop up to end the inning.
UAB took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. The leadoff batter doubled to left center field and came around to score with a RBI single, taking a 3-2 lead.
The Golden Eagles were unable to score the tying or go-ahead runs to extend the game, dropping the one-run decision.
Game 2 Recap
In game two, the two teams were basically even before a weather stoppage halted the game. After the break, the Blazers scored five runs to ultimately earn an 8-2 victory.
Once again, Southern Miss was the first team to score, scratching the scoreboard twice in the top of the first inning. With one out, Reynolds singled to center field. Cleary followed with a walk and Estrada loaded the bases by reaching on an error. Garner entered the game to run at second base for Cleary. With two outs, Pollock laced a single down the right field line, scoring Reynolds and Pollock on the play. Pollock stole second base, but a pop up ended the inning with the Golden Eagles in front 2-0.
UAB tied the game in the bottom of the inning. The leadoff batter dropped down a bunt single and moved to second on a sacrifice. The next batter double to left field, scoring the lead runner. On the play, she advanced to third on a mishandled ball by USM. The next batter singled to score the tying run. After a walk and foul out, the next Blazer singled to left field. The runner on second base attempted to score but was thrown out by Pollock at the plate, leaving the game tied at two.
The Blazers took the lead in the third inning. UAB used a single and a double to put a pair of runners in scoring position. The Blazers successfully executed a squeeze bunt to score the lead runner and leave runners on the corners. The next batter hit a ground ball to Michelle Stringer at third. Stringer looked the lead runner back to third and threw out the batter for the first out. The Golden Eagles ended the inning with a double play. The batter dropped a ball in front of McKeever. She picked up the ball and tagged the batter and the runner trying to score from third for the unassisted inning-ending double play.
With the score at 3-2 after three innings, the game was halted due to inclement weather in the Birmingham area at 4:16 p.m. The tarp was pulled and lightning was spotted in the area so both teams evacuated the field. Rain fell for approximately 45 minutes before the tarp was pulled and teams returned to the field. Play was able to resume at 5:46 p.m.
UAB extended its lead in the fourth inning. Following a strikeout, the Blazers used a single and a home run by Caitlin Attfield to score a pair of runs. In the sixth inning, UAB used three doubles and a pair of Southern Miss miscues to score three runs (one earned run) to make the score 8-2.
