Friday, April 15
Hattiesburg, Miss.
1 p.m.
Southern Miss
25-16, 5-9
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UTEP
12-25, 2-12
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UTEP
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Southern Miss
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Golden Eagles Secure Series Against UTEP with 5-3 Win
4/15/2022 3:24:00 PM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- A pair of home runs lifted the Southern Miss softball team to victory against the UTEP Miners on Friday afternoon. Multiple-run homers from Hannah Borden and Maria Smith gave the Black & Gold a 5-3 win over the Miners to secure the Conference USA series.
Southern Miss received a complete-game performance from junior pitcher Morgan Leinstock, who improved to 17-6 on the season. The Golden Eagles (25-16, 5-9 C-USA) picked up their second C-USA series of 2022 and have won seven of their last eight contests.
"This was a good team win," head coach Brian Levin said. "We had good pitching, good hitting and solid defense again today, and that's been the story for the last few weeks. People are starting to play for each other, and when you do that as a team, you're going to be successful."
The Golden Eagles blanked UTEP in the top of the first, as a pair of groundouts and a strikeout sent the first three Miners back to the dugout. Tata Davis reached first on a single with two outs on the board to give Southern Miss its first hit of the afternoon.
After a pair of balls and five fouls, Borden won a dual against UTEP pitcher Mackenzee Collins with a two-run homer. The Trussville, Ala. native gave the Golden Eagles a 2-0 lead with a shot onto the left field deck, as she collected her sixth homer of the season.
"We knew we needed this win to secure the series, and it was important to come out strong," Borden said. "I had a long at bat before the home run and I was seeing the ball really well. We had a good plan and I waited for a pitch I could handle and I got it."
UTEP responded in the top of the second, as the Miners recorded their first hit of the series, a solo home run to center field. Southern Miss held a 2-1 lead, but could not add to its lead in the bottom of the frame.Â
A single from the Miners put a runner on base, and UTEP took its first lead of the series with a two-run shot. The Golden Eagles left Smith on base in the bottom of the third, as Southern Miss was unable to record a hit in the frame and trailed 3-2.
The Golden Eagles and Miners were unable to get the bats going in the fourth inning, as neither team was able to record a hit. Southern Miss kept UTEP off the board in the top of the fifth frame.
Pinch hitter Rycca Hinton was walked, and Brown put two runners on base with a single to left field. UTEP made a pitching change with no outs on the board, but the change did not phase Smith, as the shortstop recorded her sixth home run of the season to give Southern Miss a 5-3 lead heading to the sixth frame.
"My mentality when I'm at the plate is that it's me against all nine, and I'm not losing," Smith said. "I'm doing it to put my teammates in a position to be successful and pass some energy to whoever I can to help us win."
Leinstock and the Golden Eagles' defense shut the Miners down for the rest of the contest, as Southern Miss did not allow a hit in the final two frames.Â
The Golden Eagles improve to 28-19-1 against UTEP in the all-time series and secure their first C-USA series win at home this season. Southern Miss holds an 11-1 record when it records two or more home runs in a single game and improves to 12-12 at home.Â
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles will go for the sweep of UTEP tomorrow when Southern Miss takes on the Miners at an updated start time of 10 a.m. Fans can catch the action on CUSA.tv or listen in on 92.7 FM WFOR.
For the latest information on Golden Eagle Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB), and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
Â
Southern Miss received a complete-game performance from junior pitcher Morgan Leinstock, who improved to 17-6 on the season. The Golden Eagles (25-16, 5-9 C-USA) picked up their second C-USA series of 2022 and have won seven of their last eight contests.
"This was a good team win," head coach Brian Levin said. "We had good pitching, good hitting and solid defense again today, and that's been the story for the last few weeks. People are starting to play for each other, and when you do that as a team, you're going to be successful."
The Golden Eagles blanked UTEP in the top of the first, as a pair of groundouts and a strikeout sent the first three Miners back to the dugout. Tata Davis reached first on a single with two outs on the board to give Southern Miss its first hit of the afternoon.
After a pair of balls and five fouls, Borden won a dual against UTEP pitcher Mackenzee Collins with a two-run homer. The Trussville, Ala. native gave the Golden Eagles a 2-0 lead with a shot onto the left field deck, as she collected her sixth homer of the season.
"We knew we needed this win to secure the series, and it was important to come out strong," Borden said. "I had a long at bat before the home run and I was seeing the ball really well. We had a good plan and I waited for a pitch I could handle and I got it."
UTEP responded in the top of the second, as the Miners recorded their first hit of the series, a solo home run to center field. Southern Miss held a 2-1 lead, but could not add to its lead in the bottom of the frame.Â
A single from the Miners put a runner on base, and UTEP took its first lead of the series with a two-run shot. The Golden Eagles left Smith on base in the bottom of the third, as Southern Miss was unable to record a hit in the frame and trailed 3-2.
The Golden Eagles and Miners were unable to get the bats going in the fourth inning, as neither team was able to record a hit. Southern Miss kept UTEP off the board in the top of the fifth frame.
Pinch hitter Rycca Hinton was walked, and Brown put two runners on base with a single to left field. UTEP made a pitching change with no outs on the board, but the change did not phase Smith, as the shortstop recorded her sixth home run of the season to give Southern Miss a 5-3 lead heading to the sixth frame.
"My mentality when I'm at the plate is that it's me against all nine, and I'm not losing," Smith said. "I'm doing it to put my teammates in a position to be successful and pass some energy to whoever I can to help us win."
Leinstock and the Golden Eagles' defense shut the Miners down for the rest of the contest, as Southern Miss did not allow a hit in the final two frames.Â
The Golden Eagles improve to 28-19-1 against UTEP in the all-time series and secure their first C-USA series win at home this season. Southern Miss holds an 11-1 record when it records two or more home runs in a single game and improves to 12-12 at home.Â
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles will go for the sweep of UTEP tomorrow when Southern Miss takes on the Miners at an updated start time of 10 a.m. Fans can catch the action on CUSA.tv or listen in on 92.7 FM WFOR.
For the latest information on Golden Eagle Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB), and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
Â
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Leinstock, Morgan (17-6)
L: COLLINS, Mackenzee (2-4)
.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
Batting:
HR: CATHEY, Pate 1 ; SAMPLE, Anna 1
RBI: CATHEY, Pate 2 ; SAMPLE, Anna 1
Base Running:
RUNS: CATHEY, Pate 1 ; SAMPLE, Anna 1 ; FAVRE, Savannah 1
SB: FAVRE, Savannah 1
HBP: CALDERON, Zaylie 1
Batting:
HR: Smith, Maria 1 ; Borden, Hannah 1
RBI: Smith, Maria 3 ; Borden, Hannah 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Brown, Destini 1 ; Smith, Maria 1 ; Davis, Tata 1 ; Borden, Hannah 1 ; Hinton, Rycca 1
CS: Jennings, Scout 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
3
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P/INF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballINF
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Sunday, April 28
Letter to Softball: Caroline Worrell
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Letter to Softball: Hannah Borden
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Letter to Softball: Maria Smith
Sunday, April 28