Friday, February 11
Hattiesburg, Miss.
4:30 pm
Southern Miss
8
vs
6
North Alabama
Brown Breaks Stolen Base Record as Southern Miss Claims Two Wins
2/11/2022 10:45:00 PM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The long ball was the key to Southern Miss' success throughout opening day, as four Golden Eagles combined for six home runs on Friday, Feb. 11. The Black & Gold picked up a 8-6 win over North Alabama before dispatching Saint Louis by a score of 6-1 to open the 2022 season.
Graduate student Destini Brown broke the Southern Miss softball program record for stolen bases in a career with 82, as the Golden Eagles (2-0, 0-0 C-USA) secured wins in their first two contests of the 2022 season.
Freshman Alexis Dittmer homered in her first two collegiate plate appearances, while graduate student Tata Davis sent balls out of the park in both games, including a grand slam.
Junior pitcher Morgan Leinstock led the way defensively for Southern Miss in its second game of the day against Saint Louis, as she pitched a complete game with eight strikeouts while allowing just two runs.
Game 1: Southern Miss 8, North Alabama 6
The Golden Eagles relied on strong play from both veteran and returning student-athletes in their first contest of the 2022 season. Southern Miss battled past North Alabama in a high-scoring game, 8-6.
Southern Miss got off to a strong start defensively against the Lions, as freshman Jana Lee put away the first six North Alabama batters without issue. The Albany, Ga. native picked up a pair of strikeouts in the first two innings of her Golden Eagle career.
A pair of freshmen opened up the scoring for the Black & Gold, as Alexis Dittmer smashed a two-run home run in her first collegiate at bat, followed by a solo shot to center by Scout Jennings on the very next at bat in the bottom of the second inning.
Brown took sole-ownership of the program record with her 82nd-career stolen base, and was brought home by Southern Miss' third home run of the inning, courtesy of Tata Davis. The Golden Eagles took a commanding 5-0 lead into the third.
A scoreless third frame from both sides led into a breakout top of the fourth for North Alabama, as the Lions cut Southern Miss' lead to 5-3. Three more runs in the fifth would give UNA its first lead of the game, as the Black & Gold trailed, 6-5.
Dittmer smashed a two-run home run to center field, propelling Southern Miss to a 7-6 lead. Freshman pitcher Paige Kilgore blanked the Lions in the top of the sixth, which was followed by an RBI single from Davis in the bottom of the inning. Brown picked up her second run of the game, following her second stolen base of the contest.
Kilgore picked up the first win of her collegiate career, putting away the final three batters to give the Golden Eagles their first victory of the 2022 season.Â
Game 2: Southern Miss 6, Saint Louis 2
Timely hits and strong defensive play was the story of Southern Miss' second game of the evening, as the Black & Gold overcame the Saint Louis Billikens, 6-2.Â
Leinstock led the way for Southern Miss in the circle, as the Golden Eagles improved to 2-0 with a victory over Saint Louis. Strong pitching from the Scottsdale, Ariz. native held SLU at bay until a pair of veteran hitters opened the game up for the Black & Gold.
Saint Louis' Chloe Wendling and Leinstock battled in a pitching duel for the first four innings. Only four hits were mustered between Southern Miss and SLU through four frames, as neither pitcher gave their opponent an inch.Â
The strong defensive efforts of the Golden Eagles were rewarded, as Brown recorded her first home run of the season, a two-run shot to center field. Saint Louis responded with an RBI double from Gabbie Kowalik to cut Southern Miss' lead to 2-1 heading into the fifth inning.
Following an error from Saint Louis that loaded the bases, Davis picked up a grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a 6-1 lead heading into the top of the seventh inning. While the Billikens were able to tack on a final run, it was not enough to overcome the deficit, as Southern Miss picked up its second win of the Black & Gold Invitational.
Defensively, Southern Miss avoided errors to support its pitcher's strong outing, while Leinstock recorded the seventh win of her Golden Eagle career.Â
Up Next:
Southern Miss takes the field tomorrow, Feb. 12, for the second day of the Black & Gold Invitational. The Golden Eagles will take on Samford at 1 p.m. before a rematch with North Alabama at 4 p.m.
Single game and season tickets are available at SouthernMissTickets.com. Fans can catch the action on CUSA.tv ($), and on the radio on 92.7 The Score and 1400 AM.
For the latest information on Golden Eagle Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB) and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
Graduate student Destini Brown broke the Southern Miss softball program record for stolen bases in a career with 82, as the Golden Eagles (2-0, 0-0 C-USA) secured wins in their first two contests of the 2022 season.
Freshman Alexis Dittmer homered in her first two collegiate plate appearances, while graduate student Tata Davis sent balls out of the park in both games, including a grand slam.
Junior pitcher Morgan Leinstock led the way defensively for Southern Miss in its second game of the day against Saint Louis, as she pitched a complete game with eight strikeouts while allowing just two runs.
Game 1: Southern Miss 8, North Alabama 6
The Golden Eagles relied on strong play from both veteran and returning student-athletes in their first contest of the 2022 season. Southern Miss battled past North Alabama in a high-scoring game, 8-6.
Southern Miss got off to a strong start defensively against the Lions, as freshman Jana Lee put away the first six North Alabama batters without issue. The Albany, Ga. native picked up a pair of strikeouts in the first two innings of her Golden Eagle career.
A pair of freshmen opened up the scoring for the Black & Gold, as Alexis Dittmer smashed a two-run home run in her first collegiate at bat, followed by a solo shot to center by Scout Jennings on the very next at bat in the bottom of the second inning.
Brown took sole-ownership of the program record with her 82nd-career stolen base, and was brought home by Southern Miss' third home run of the inning, courtesy of Tata Davis. The Golden Eagles took a commanding 5-0 lead into the third.
A scoreless third frame from both sides led into a breakout top of the fourth for North Alabama, as the Lions cut Southern Miss' lead to 5-3. Three more runs in the fifth would give UNA its first lead of the game, as the Black & Gold trailed, 6-5.
Dittmer smashed a two-run home run to center field, propelling Southern Miss to a 7-6 lead. Freshman pitcher Paige Kilgore blanked the Lions in the top of the sixth, which was followed by an RBI single from Davis in the bottom of the inning. Brown picked up her second run of the game, following her second stolen base of the contest.
Kilgore picked up the first win of her collegiate career, putting away the final three batters to give the Golden Eagles their first victory of the 2022 season.Â
Game 2: Southern Miss 6, Saint Louis 2
Timely hits and strong defensive play was the story of Southern Miss' second game of the evening, as the Black & Gold overcame the Saint Louis Billikens, 6-2.Â
Leinstock led the way for Southern Miss in the circle, as the Golden Eagles improved to 2-0 with a victory over Saint Louis. Strong pitching from the Scottsdale, Ariz. native held SLU at bay until a pair of veteran hitters opened the game up for the Black & Gold.
Saint Louis' Chloe Wendling and Leinstock battled in a pitching duel for the first four innings. Only four hits were mustered between Southern Miss and SLU through four frames, as neither pitcher gave their opponent an inch.Â
The strong defensive efforts of the Golden Eagles were rewarded, as Brown recorded her first home run of the season, a two-run shot to center field. Saint Louis responded with an RBI double from Gabbie Kowalik to cut Southern Miss' lead to 2-1 heading into the fifth inning.
Following an error from Saint Louis that loaded the bases, Davis picked up a grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a 6-1 lead heading into the top of the seventh inning. While the Billikens were able to tack on a final run, it was not enough to overcome the deficit, as Southern Miss picked up its second win of the Black & Gold Invitational.
Defensively, Southern Miss avoided errors to support its pitcher's strong outing, while Leinstock recorded the seventh win of her Golden Eagle career.Â
Up Next:
Southern Miss takes the field tomorrow, Feb. 12, for the second day of the Black & Gold Invitational. The Golden Eagles will take on Samford at 1 p.m. before a rematch with North Alabama at 4 p.m.
Single game and season tickets are available at SouthernMissTickets.com. Fans can catch the action on CUSA.tv ($), and on the radio on 92.7 The Score and 1400 AM.
For the latest information on Golden Eagle Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB) and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
C
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OF
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P/INF
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P
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