Thursday, April 14
Hattiesburg, Miss.
6 p.m.
Southern Miss
24-16, 4-9
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UTEP
12-24, 2-11
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UTEP
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Southern Miss
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Leinstock Throws No-Hitter as Levin Secures 400th-Career Win
4/14/2022 8:13:00 PM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss softball team celebrated the accomplishments of two key contributors following the Golden Eagles' 8-0 victory over the UTEP Miners Thursday night. Junior pitcher Morgan Leinstock recorded the first no-hitter of her collegiate career, while head coach Brian Levin picked up his 400th NCAA victory.
The Golden Eagles dominated the contest from the opening pitch, as Southern Miss outhit UTEP 9-0 through the five-inning game. Seven different Golden Eagles recorded hits, while Destini Brown recorded a pair of singles and three RBI in the win.
Leinstock struck out five batters en route to Southern Miss' first no-hitter since Feb. 12, 2020 in her 19th complete game of the year. She improved to a 16-6 mark in the circle and pitched a shutout for the fifth time this season.
"I feel amazing, this is the very first no-hitter of my softball career," Leinstock said. "It feels great to have gotten it like this when Coach Levin got his 400th win and to show the fans that we can do this."
A single from Tata Davis brought in Brown to give Southern Miss the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Hannah Borden followed up with a single of her own to bring Smith home, and a throwing error from the Miners, as Tata Davis extended the lead to three runs.Â
Another throwing error from UTEP brought Borden home, sending the Black & Gold into the second with a 4-0 advantage. The Miners were blanked by Leinstock yet again in the top of the second, as the Scottsdale, Ariz. native struck out three batters to send the Golden Eagles back up to the plate.Â
Natalie Taylor reached home on a single from Brown to give the Golden Eagles a commanding 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second. After a scoreless frame from UTEP in the top of the third, the Golden Eagles continued to pour on the offense.
A pair of singles put Scout Jennings and Jana Lee on first and second, and a sacrifice bunt from Natalie Hurdle advanced Lee and Jennings. Taylor sent Jennings home with an RBI single, and another single from Brown brought pinch runner Columbia Holeman and Taylor in to extend the lead to 8-0.
The Miners were unable to muster any offense in the fourth, as Davis made a spectacular catch on a line drive to preserve Leinstock's no-hitter. The Golden Eagles were unable to tack on runs in the bottom of the inning and held an eight-run lead as the fifth approached.Â
"As a pitcher, I trust my defense to make plays like that," Leinstock said. "Whenever I get a ball in the ground, or a line drive, like Tata's catch, I can trust that they will get those outs."
A double play in the top of the fifth and one final groundout sealed the five-inning win for the Golden Eagles. Southern Miss improved to 27-19-1 against UTEP, while Levin became the fifth active Conference USA head coach to eclipse the 400 wins mark.
"I look at the 400 wins as something that the players accomplish," Levin said following the win. "It's all them. They execute when they have to, and it was even more special for Morgan to go out and throw a no-hitter like she did. It was a fun night."
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles take on the Miners again at the Southern Miss Softball Complex at 1 p.m. Fans can steam the action live on CUSA.tv or listen in on 92.7 FM WFOR The Score.
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 Golden Eagles dominated the contest from the opening pitch, as Southern Miss outhit UTEP 9-0 through the five-inning game. Seven different Golden Eagles recorded hits, while Destini Brown recorded a pair of singles and three RBI in the win.
Leinstock struck out five batters en route to Southern Miss' first no-hitter since Feb. 12, 2020 in her 19th complete game of the year. She improved to a 16-6 mark in the circle and pitched a shutout for the fifth time this season.
"I feel amazing, this is the very first no-hitter of my softball career," Leinstock said. "It feels great to have gotten it like this when Coach Levin got his 400th win and to show the fans that we can do this."
A single from Tata Davis brought in Brown to give Southern Miss the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Hannah Borden followed up with a single of her own to bring Smith home, and a throwing error from the Miners, as Tata Davis extended the lead to three runs.Â
Another throwing error from UTEP brought Borden home, sending the Black & Gold into the second with a 4-0 advantage. The Miners were blanked by Leinstock yet again in the top of the second, as the Scottsdale, Ariz. native struck out three batters to send the Golden Eagles back up to the plate.Â
Natalie Taylor reached home on a single from Brown to give the Golden Eagles a commanding 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second. After a scoreless frame from UTEP in the top of the third, the Golden Eagles continued to pour on the offense.
A pair of singles put Scout Jennings and Jana Lee on first and second, and a sacrifice bunt from Natalie Hurdle advanced Lee and Jennings. Taylor sent Jennings home with an RBI single, and another single from Brown brought pinch runner Columbia Holeman and Taylor in to extend the lead to 8-0.
The Miners were unable to muster any offense in the fourth, as Davis made a spectacular catch on a line drive to preserve Leinstock's no-hitter. The Golden Eagles were unable to tack on runs in the bottom of the inning and held an eight-run lead as the fifth approached.Â
"As a pitcher, I trust my defense to make plays like that," Leinstock said. "Whenever I get a ball in the ground, or a line drive, like Tata's catch, I can trust that they will get those outs."
A double play in the top of the fifth and one final groundout sealed the five-inning win for the Golden Eagles. Southern Miss improved to 27-19-1 against UTEP, while Levin became the fifth active Conference USA head coach to eclipse the 400 wins mark.
"I look at the 400 wins as something that the players accomplish," Levin said following the win. "It's all them. They execute when they have to, and it was even more special for Morgan to go out and throw a no-hitter like she did. It was a fun night."
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles take on the Miners again at the Southern Miss Softball Complex at 1 p.m. Fans can steam the action live on CUSA.tv or listen in on 92.7 FM WFOR The Score.
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 (16-6)
L: ALARCON, Aalijah (7-13)
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Base Running:
CS: CATHEY, Pate 1
HBP: STARK, Cheyenne 1
Batting:
RBI: Brown, Destini 3 ; Davis, Tata 1 ; Borden, Hannah 1 ; Taylor, Natalie 1
SH: Hurdle, Natalie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brown, Destini 1 ; Smith, Maria 1 ; Davis, Tata 1 ; Borden, Hannah 1 ; Jennings, Scout 1 ; Holeman, Columbia 1 ; Taylor, Natalie 2
HBP: Brown, Destini 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
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