
Home Runs from Brown & Borden Propel Southern Miss Past MTSU
3/19/2022 6:38:00 PM | Softball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Home runs from Hannah Borden and Destini Brown propelled the Southern Miss softball team past Middle Tennessee on Saturday. The Golden Eagles racked up three runs in both the first and second innings to pick their first Conference USA win by a score of 6-2.Â
The Black & Gold recorded 10 hits en route to a crucial victory against the Blue Raiders. Morgan Leinstock allowed just two runs as she picked up her 11th win of the season. Southern Miss (18-10, 1-4 C-USA) recorded multiple home runs in a game for the seventh time this year.
"I thought that we started off really well and that was a big key to our success," head coach Brian Levin said. "I think the team was ready to play. We came out scoring early and we hit the ball well. We did a solid job of driving in runs, it was a good team win."Â
Borden, Jana Lee, Alexis Dittmer and Tata Davis all picked up a pair of hits for the Black & Gold, while Brown recorded her 20th stolen base of the season. The Golden Eagles allowed two runs or less for the 14th time in 2022.Â
Southern Miss got off to a strong start in the opening inning, as a trio of RBI singles from Lee, Dittmer and Maria Smith gave the Golden Eagles a 3-0 lead. The Blue Raiders loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame, but Leinstock worked her way out of the situation to maintain the three-run lead.
Brown extended Southern Miss' lead in the top of the second, crushing a solo shot to center field to pick up her sixth home run of the season. After a single from Davis, Borden brought her home with a two-run homer, giving the Golden Eagles the 6-0 lead.
Southern Miss and Middle Tennessee were held scoreless by the pitchers in the third, fourth and fifth frames. The Golden Eagles held strong defensively, but could not extend their lead through five innings.Â
Middle Tennessee shortened Southern Miss' lead to five with a home run in the bottom of the sixth. The Blue Raiders brought in one more run in the seventh, but the Golden Eagles halted the come back to secure the win.Â
"I think this game gives us a lot of confidence," Borden said. "Now, we all know what it takes to win a conference game. We have to bring our A-game every single game, and this gives us a lot of momentum heading into tomorrow and the rest of the conference series."
The Golden Eagles remain undefeated when two or more home runs are scored and move to 4-1 in road matchups this season. Southern Miss tied the all-time series against Middle Tennessee, 6-6. The Golden Eagles and MTSU will battle to clinch the conference series tomorrow at the Blue Raider Softball Field.
Up Next:
Southern Miss is back in action against MTSU tomorrow at noon with a chance to bring home the series. The game is set to take place at the Blue Raider Softball Field and will be streamed on CUSA.tv.
For the latest information on Golden Eagle Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB), and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
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The Black & Gold recorded 10 hits en route to a crucial victory against the Blue Raiders. Morgan Leinstock allowed just two runs as she picked up her 11th win of the season. Southern Miss (18-10, 1-4 C-USA) recorded multiple home runs in a game for the seventh time this year.
"I thought that we started off really well and that was a big key to our success," head coach Brian Levin said. "I think the team was ready to play. We came out scoring early and we hit the ball well. We did a solid job of driving in runs, it was a good team win."Â
Borden, Jana Lee, Alexis Dittmer and Tata Davis all picked up a pair of hits for the Black & Gold, while Brown recorded her 20th stolen base of the season. The Golden Eagles allowed two runs or less for the 14th time in 2022.Â
Southern Miss got off to a strong start in the opening inning, as a trio of RBI singles from Lee, Dittmer and Maria Smith gave the Golden Eagles a 3-0 lead. The Blue Raiders loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame, but Leinstock worked her way out of the situation to maintain the three-run lead.
Brown extended Southern Miss' lead in the top of the second, crushing a solo shot to center field to pick up her sixth home run of the season. After a single from Davis, Borden brought her home with a two-run homer, giving the Golden Eagles the 6-0 lead.
Southern Miss and Middle Tennessee were held scoreless by the pitchers in the third, fourth and fifth frames. The Golden Eagles held strong defensively, but could not extend their lead through five innings.Â
Middle Tennessee shortened Southern Miss' lead to five with a home run in the bottom of the sixth. The Blue Raiders brought in one more run in the seventh, but the Golden Eagles halted the come back to secure the win.Â
"I think this game gives us a lot of confidence," Borden said. "Now, we all know what it takes to win a conference game. We have to bring our A-game every single game, and this gives us a lot of momentum heading into tomorrow and the rest of the conference series."
The Golden Eagles remain undefeated when two or more home runs are scored and move to 4-1 in road matchups this season. Southern Miss tied the all-time series against Middle Tennessee, 6-6. The Golden Eagles and MTSU will battle to clinch the conference series tomorrow at the Blue Raider Softball Field.
Up Next:
Southern Miss is back in action against MTSU tomorrow at noon with a chance to bring home the series. The game is set to take place at the Blue Raider Softball Field and will be streamed on CUSA.tv.
For the latest information on Golden Eagle Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB), and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Leinstock, Morgan (11-4)
L: WOODS, Claire (1-4)

Batting:
HR: Brown, Destini 1 ; Borden, Hannah 1
RBI: Brown, Destini 1 ; Lee, Jana 1 ; Borden, Hannah 2 ; Dittmer, Alexis 1 ; Smith, Maria 1
SF: Borden, Hannah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brown, Destini 2 ; Davis, Tata 2 ; Borden, Hannah 2
SB: Brown, Destini 1

Batting:
HR: HARVEY, Anyce 1
RBI: MEALER, Laura 1 ; HARVEY, Anyce 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HARVEY, Anyce 1 ; SARGENT, Shelby 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
Players Mentioned
Letter to Softball: KK Agner
Sunday, April 28
Letter to Softball: Caroline Worrell
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Letter to Softball: Hannah Borden
Sunday, April 28
Letter to Softball: Maria Smith
Sunday, April 28