Southern Miss Softball Extends Winning Streak to 10 Games With 7-1 Win Over Nicholls

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Southern Miss Golden Eagles (27-16, 11-7 C-USA) defeated the Nicholls Colonels (26-17, 15-3 Southland Conference) by a final score of 7-1 in Tuesday night's midweek matchup at the Southern Miss Softball Complex in Hattiesburg.

Entering the contest with a nine-game winning streak on the line, Southern Miss looked to avenge a 4-1 road loss to Nicholls from earlier in the season and that is exactly what they did.

Nicholls scored their lone run of the contest in the top of the first inning when Kasey Frederick sent a solo home run over the left field wall, giving the Colonels an early 1-0 lead.

Nicholls starting pitcher and ace Megan Landry cruised through the first three frames of the game without allowing a runner on base. Landry looked to be in complete control in the circle as she held the Golden Eagles' offense in check until the bottom of the fourth inning.

Southern Miss' first break of the game came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Chase Nelson reached base safely after a catcher's interference call. One batter later, Lacey Sumerlin who has been a terror in the batter's box all season long, belted a two-run home run deep over the left field wall to give the Golden Eagles a 2-1 lead, ending Landry's no-hitter.

Sumerlin on her approach at the plate during her at-bat in the bottom of the fourth inning
"The pitcher (Landry) was spinning the ball really well. I knew that she was going to try to get ahead in the count and would throw me her off speed pitches because that's what she had been successful with in the game. I sat on her slow stuff and that's what she happened to throw me for the first pitch of my at-bat. She had been successful one time through our lineup but I knew that once we saw her for the second time, we would capitalize."

After gaining a 2-1 lead, Southern Miss never looked back and tacked on five more runs before it was all said and done.

Leading 2-1, thanks to Sumerlin's go-ahead shot in the bottom of the fourth inning, Southern Miss extended its lead to 5-1 before the inning was over after Sarah Van Schaik blasted a three-run home run well beyond the wall in left center field.

Van Schaik on her mentality going into her at-bat in the bottom of the fourth inning
"My approach was more of fighting back. She (Landry) struck me out the first at-bat and I went into the dugout and told myself she may have gotten me once but she won't get me again. I was just confident in myself that I was going to win the at-bat."

The Golden Eagles added their final runs of the game to the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning after Madison Rayner drilled a two-run triple down the left field line, scoring Nelson and Caroline Casey.

In the circle, three Southern Miss pitchers combined to limit Nicholls' offense to just one run. Junior Bailie Springfield, freshman Kaylan Ladner and junior Abby Trahan all chipped in for the Golden Eagles. Ladner earned the win after tossing 2.0 scoreless innings in which she allowed two hits, issued one walk and struck out two. The win marks the sixth for Ladner this season.

Game notes

After defeating Nicholls on Tuesday night, Southern Miss extended its winning streak to 10 games. The 10-game winning streak marks the longest winning streak posted by any Southern Miss softball team since the 2000 season.
After collecting a pair of RBIs on Tuesday night, Southern Miss junior shortstop Lacey Sumerlin now leads the team with a total of 35 RBIs on the season.
Madison Rayner's triple in the bottom of the fifth inning marked the first of the freshman outfielder's Southern Miss career.

Southern Miss will be back in action tomorrow night when they travel to Lake Charles, La. for a Wednesday night battle against McNeese State (23-22, 14-4 Southland Conference). The first pitch from Joe Miller Field is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (CT).

For all of the latest Southern Miss softball news, fans can follow the official Southern Miss softball Twitter account (@SouthernMissSB), Instagram account (@southernmisssb) and Facebook account (Southern Miss Softball).

Southern Miss Softball Extends Winning Streak to 10 Games With 7-1 Win Over Nicholls

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Team Stats

Madison Rayner

Chase Nelson

Lacey Sumerlin

Tata Davis

Players Mentioned

Caroline Casey

Kaylan Ladner

Chase Nelson

Madison Rayner

Bailie Springfield

Lacey Sumerlin

Abby Trahan

Sarah Van Schaik

Players Mentioned

Caroline Casey

Kaylan Ladner

Chase Nelson

Madison Rayner

Bailie Springfield

Lacey Sumerlin

Abby Trahan

Sarah Van Schaik