Wednesday, April 6
Hattiesburg, Miss.
6 p.m.
Southern Miss
21-15
3
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Mississippi State
24-13
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Mississippi State
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Southern Miss
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Davis and Leinstock Lift Southern Miss Past Mississippi State, 3-0
4/6/2022 9:37:00 PM | Softball
The Golden Eagles defeated the Bulldogs for the first time since 2011
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- A two-run homer from Tata Davis and a strong outing in the circle from Morgan Leinstock lifted Southern Miss over Mississippi State on Wednesday night. The Golden Eagles shut out the Bulldogs, 3-0 at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
The Black & Gold received a complete-game shutout from Leinstock, who struck out six Bulldogs en route to her 13th win of the season. Davis recorded her fifth home run of the year to give Southern Miss the lead in the first, which would be the deciding play of the contest.
The Golden Eagles (21-15, 1-8 C-USA) were strong on defense throughout the contest, committing no errors in a tight game. Southern Miss' third run of the game came in the sixth, as Lorna Agren reached home on a throwing error from the Bulldogs, one of three committed by Mississippi State in the loss.Â
"This was a tremendous win," head coach Brian Levin said. "Any time you come out and beat an SEC opponent like that, it's a big deal. I'm proud of the girls, they came out and played well. They just love each other, that's what is fun about this."
Southern Miss escaped the top of the first after Mississippi State loaded the bases, as Leinstock and the defense held the Bulldogs off the board. The Black & Gold took advantage of the situation in the bottom of the frame.
Jana Lee reached first on a walk, and Davis gave the Golden Eagles the lead with a two-run shot over the scoreboard to left center field. Southern Miss took a 2-0 lead into the second frame, as the Golden Eagles left a runner on base.
"It was big. It felt good off the bat," Davis said of her home run. "When we do great things early, we can't be touched throughout the rest of the game. We kept that same energy all the way through, which was game-changing."
A pitching duel between Leinstock and Mississippi State's Annie Willis broke out, as the Golden Eagles and Bulldogs were unable to muster a hit for three straight innings. Southern Miss continued to hold a two-run lead heading into the fifth.
Both Mississippi State and Southern Miss recorded hits in the fifth frame, but neither team could capitalize. Natalie Taylor reached first on a single, but a fielder's choice, a strikeout and a groundout ended the inning.
The Golden Eagle defense sent back Mississippi State's next three batters, giving Southern Miss a chance to extend the lead in the bottom of the sixth.Â
A double from Scout Jennings brought pinch runner Agren to third, and a throwing error from the Bulldogs brought home Southern Miss' third run of the evening. The Bulldogs would get a runner on base with a single in the top of the seventh, but it would not matter, as the Golden Eagles shut the door on Mississippi State.Â
Leinstock picked up her fourth shutout of the 2022 season with tonight's win. The Scottsdale Ariz. native now holds two complete-game victories over SEC opponents, as she pitched all seven innings when Southern Miss defeated Florida on March 2.Â
"She was spectacular tonight," Levin said of Leinstock. "That was a very good-hitting Mississippi State team. I can't say enough about her, she always comes up big like that for us."
Southern Miss picked up their second win against an SEC foe in a season for the first time since 2011. The Golden Eagles defeated Mississippi State for the first time since April 6, 2011, and knocked off the Bulldogs in Hattiesburg for the first time since 2004.
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles travel to North Carolina for a crucial Conference USA series against the Charlotte 49ers this weekend. All three tilts will be available to stream on ESPN+.
For the latest information on Golden Eagle Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB), and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
The Black & Gold received a complete-game shutout from Leinstock, who struck out six Bulldogs en route to her 13th win of the season. Davis recorded her fifth home run of the year to give Southern Miss the lead in the first, which would be the deciding play of the contest.
The Golden Eagles (21-15, 1-8 C-USA) were strong on defense throughout the contest, committing no errors in a tight game. Southern Miss' third run of the game came in the sixth, as Lorna Agren reached home on a throwing error from the Bulldogs, one of three committed by Mississippi State in the loss.Â
"This was a tremendous win," head coach Brian Levin said. "Any time you come out and beat an SEC opponent like that, it's a big deal. I'm proud of the girls, they came out and played well. They just love each other, that's what is fun about this."
Southern Miss escaped the top of the first after Mississippi State loaded the bases, as Leinstock and the defense held the Bulldogs off the board. The Black & Gold took advantage of the situation in the bottom of the frame.
Jana Lee reached first on a walk, and Davis gave the Golden Eagles the lead with a two-run shot over the scoreboard to left center field. Southern Miss took a 2-0 lead into the second frame, as the Golden Eagles left a runner on base.
"It was big. It felt good off the bat," Davis said of her home run. "When we do great things early, we can't be touched throughout the rest of the game. We kept that same energy all the way through, which was game-changing."
A pitching duel between Leinstock and Mississippi State's Annie Willis broke out, as the Golden Eagles and Bulldogs were unable to muster a hit for three straight innings. Southern Miss continued to hold a two-run lead heading into the fifth.
Both Mississippi State and Southern Miss recorded hits in the fifth frame, but neither team could capitalize. Natalie Taylor reached first on a single, but a fielder's choice, a strikeout and a groundout ended the inning.
The Golden Eagle defense sent back Mississippi State's next three batters, giving Southern Miss a chance to extend the lead in the bottom of the sixth.Â
A double from Scout Jennings brought pinch runner Agren to third, and a throwing error from the Bulldogs brought home Southern Miss' third run of the evening. The Bulldogs would get a runner on base with a single in the top of the seventh, but it would not matter, as the Golden Eagles shut the door on Mississippi State.Â
Leinstock picked up her fourth shutout of the 2022 season with tonight's win. The Scottsdale Ariz. native now holds two complete-game victories over SEC opponents, as she pitched all seven innings when Southern Miss defeated Florida on March 2.Â
"She was spectacular tonight," Levin said of Leinstock. "That was a very good-hitting Mississippi State team. I can't say enough about her, she always comes up big like that for us."
Southern Miss picked up their second win against an SEC foe in a season for the first time since 2011. The Golden Eagles defeated Mississippi State for the first time since April 6, 2011, and knocked off the Bulldogs in Hattiesburg for the first time since 2004.
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles travel to North Carolina for a crucial Conference USA series against the Charlotte 49ers this weekend. All three tilts will be available to stream on ESPN+.
For the latest information on Golden Eagle Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB), and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Leinstock, Morgan (13-6)
L: Aspen Wesley (5-5)
Batting:
2B: Jennings, Scout 1
HR: Davis, Tata 1
RBI: Davis, Tata 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Lee, Jana 1 ; Davis, Tata 1 ; Agren, Lorna 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballINF
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