Southern Miss
UTSA
Softball Splits with UTSA to Begin Weekend
4/14/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss - Southern Miss' early blows in the doubleheader opener were countered with a late rally by visiting UTSA in the nightcap, leading to a 10-4 and 7-6 (8) split on Friday night.
Lauren Holifield's three-hit game was her third on the year. Chase Nelson reached safely in each of the two contests, extending her Southern Miss season-best on-base streak to 13 games. The Golden Eagles also drew five hit-by-pitches on the day.
The two teams will square off for the deciding game Saturday at 12 p.m. There will also be a postgame egg hunt.
Southern Miss 10, UTSA 4
It was all about the offense in game one, Tori Dew went 3-for-3 with 5 RBIs and hit her first triple on the season and Arielle Pollock posted 2 RBI with a triple of her own. The two of them drove in four of the five Southern Miss runs in the bottom of the first, and it also came after the Roadrunners' Bailee Baldwin knocked a three-run homer to send an early message.
Southern Miss took advantage of two walks and a hit-by-pitch. Caitlyn Aldous then lofted a sac fly to left field, and Dew continued her hot day with an RBI single.
Samantha Robles (6-7) got the win behind a season-high six strikeout in 6 2/3 innings of work. Robles allowed four runs on seven hits but only walked one runner. Jillian Johnson came in relief in the top of the seventh to close the game out after UTSA loaded the bases with one out.
Southern Miss put another run on in the fourth and two more in the sixth (by virtue of a wild pitch and sac fly) for the insurance.
The Golden Eagles secured the win, 10-4, after holding the Roadrunners to just one run in the seventh.
UTSA 7, Southern Miss 6 (Eight innings)
Rylee Rodriguez's solo homer found just enough length and just enough precision to settle inside the left field foul pole in the top of the eighth. Southern Miss rallied back in the bottom half with nobody on and two outs, beginning with a first-pitch single to left field by Holifield. Dew slapped a comebacker to the circle that was initially stopped and then thrown wide enough to catch Dew on the shoulder and keep everyone safe. Dew ultimately pulled off a delayed steal, but Aldous' full-count line drive went directly into the hands of the shortstop.
UTSA rallied with three runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings, doing so in diverse fashion.
A leadoff walk and double put the Roadrunners in solid position to break into the 4-0 deficit. Loughman then tripled to straightaway left field before scoring on Rodriguez's base hit to left center, all with no outs.
Southern Miss was able to up its lead to 6-3 in the bottom half of the fifth, thanks to back-to-back RBI singles by Pollock and Hill with two outs.
But UTSA had its own intentions in the top of the sixth, giving back what it had received with back-to-back, two-out RBI singles.
Kim Crowson got the starting nod, allowing six runs (all earned) on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. Jillian Johnson was tagged with the loss, entering in the sixth and only allowing the deciding homer.
