Southern Miss
UTSA
Softball Cruises to Win to Claim Series
4/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- The Southern Miss softball team jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as the Golden Eagle defeated UTSA, 6-1, at Roadrunner Field in San Antonio, Texas. The Black and Gold claimed the series win 2-1, marking the second consecutive Conference USA series win for Southern Miss.
Offensively, the Golden Eagles collected eight hits, including three doubles on the day. Tori Dew paced the squad, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a RBI, and a run scored. Lauren Holifield recorded a pair of hits on the day and Sarah Evans led the team with a pair of RBI. Morgan McKeever scored a team-high two runs on the day.
In the circle, Samantha Robles tossed a complete game for her second win of the weekend. The redshirt sophomore surrendered one run on four hits in 7.0 innings of work. Robles allowed just one walk, while striking out five batters. She faced just three batters over the minimum as a double play and a running mistake by the Roadrunners eliminated a pair of base runners.
Southern Miss was the first team to score, scratching the scoreboard in the top of the first inning. McKeever and Holifield each walked to start the game. The duo moved closer to home as Katie Cleary dropped down a sacrifice bunt. A groundout recorded the second out of the inning. UTSA tried to double up the runners, but an errant throw allowed McKeever to score from third.
The Golden Eagles extended their lead in the top of the third inning. McKeever reached on a fielding error by the Roadrunners to start the inning. Back-to-back singles by Holifield and Cleary loaded the bases for Southern Miss. Following a pitching change, Dew singled through the right side of the infield to score McKeever. Samantha Reynolds entered to run at second base. She advanced to third as Papp delivered a RBI single through the left side of the infield. With the bases still loaded, Evans drove home two with a two-RBI double to left center field to extend the lead to 5-0.
Southern Miss added a run in the fifth inning. Dew led off the inning with a double down the right field line. Sydney Pollock entered to run at second base. She came around to score as Papp reached on a fielding error by UTSA to push the lead to 6-0.
UTSA chipped into the lead with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Roadrunners' Randee Crawford hit a solo home run to right field, but the Golden Eagles retired the next three batters in order to close out the game.
Southern Miss returns to action this week as the Golden Eagles play host to nationally-ranked Alabama on Tuesday, April 12 at 6:00 p.m. at the Southern Miss Softball Complex. Live stats, live audio, live video, and in-game tweets (@SouthernMissSB) will be available throughout the game.
