Friday, April 8
Charlotte, N.C.
5 p.m.
Southern Miss
5
at
4
Charlotte
Golden Eagles Outlast Charlotte on the Road, 5-4
4/8/2022 8:15:00 PM | Softball
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A five-run first inning and a complete-game performance from Morgan Leinstock aided the Southern Miss softball team to a 5-4 victory over the Charlotte 49ers. The Golden Eagles picked up the first game of a crucial Conference USA series on the road.
Home runs from Tata Davis and Maria Smith in the opening frame gave the Golden Eagles a 5-0 lead. Charlotte was unable to overcome the deficit, as Leinstock and Southern Miss' defense held on to secure the victory.
The Golden Eagles (22-15, 2-8 C-USA) battled through adversity to pick up their second Conference USA victory. Davis picked up her sixth home run of the season, while Smith now has five homers in 2022.
"We preach 'have fun and play'," Davis said. "There was no need to tense up, when you do that, everything goes against you. We just kept having fun and played our game, and when we do that, we can't be beat."
The Golden Eagles opened the first game of the series with a strong first frame. Brown led off with a single and stole second moments later to improve position. Jana Lee walked to put runners on first and second with no outs recorded.
Davis, on the first pitch she saw, crushed a three-run shot to left center field to give Southern Miss a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Hannah Borden was walked immediately after the home run, and Columbia Holeman was brought in as a pinch runner.
With a full count, Maria Smith sent a two-run homer over the left field fence to give the Golden Eagles a five-run advantage in the first. The Golden Eagle defense kept Charlotte off the board, as the Black & Gold led, 5-0 after the first frame.
After a scoreless inning from the Golden Eagles, Leinstock recorded a pair of strikeouts to keep Charlotte off the board in the bottom of the second. The Golden Eagles and 49ers were unable to record a hit in the third, as Southern Miss continued to hold a 5-0 lead over Charlotte.
Southern Miss and Charlotte were blanked once again in the fourth, and the Golden Eagles failed to bring home two runners in the top of the fifth. The 49ers took advantage, as an RBI single and two-run homer from Charlotte trimmed Southern Miss' lead to 5-3 after five frames.
Charlotte trimmed the Southern Miss lead to one in the bottom of the sixth, but the Golden Eagles shut the door as the 49ers left the bases loaded. The Black & Gold did not respond in the top of the seventh and held a 5-4 lead.
The Golden Eagles shut the door on Charlotte's comeback attempt, securing the one-run victory.
"It was a good win for us," head coach Brian Levin said. "I think when they hit their home run, we started to panic a little bit. When you play a good team like that, they're going to make a run at you, but the team regained their composure well."
Southern Miss picked up its first win against the 49ers since 2017 and improves to 17-7 in the all-time series against Charlotte.
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles are back in action tomorrow for the second game of the series against Charlotte. Southern Miss takes the field for a noon start time, and the tilt will be streamed on ESPN+.
For the latest information on Golden Eagle Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB), and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
Home runs from Tata Davis and Maria Smith in the opening frame gave the Golden Eagles a 5-0 lead. Charlotte was unable to overcome the deficit, as Leinstock and Southern Miss' defense held on to secure the victory.
The Golden Eagles (22-15, 2-8 C-USA) battled through adversity to pick up their second Conference USA victory. Davis picked up her sixth home run of the season, while Smith now has five homers in 2022.
"We preach 'have fun and play'," Davis said. "There was no need to tense up, when you do that, everything goes against you. We just kept having fun and played our game, and when we do that, we can't be beat."
The Golden Eagles opened the first game of the series with a strong first frame. Brown led off with a single and stole second moments later to improve position. Jana Lee walked to put runners on first and second with no outs recorded.
Davis, on the first pitch she saw, crushed a three-run shot to left center field to give Southern Miss a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Hannah Borden was walked immediately after the home run, and Columbia Holeman was brought in as a pinch runner.
With a full count, Maria Smith sent a two-run homer over the left field fence to give the Golden Eagles a five-run advantage in the first. The Golden Eagle defense kept Charlotte off the board, as the Black & Gold led, 5-0 after the first frame.
After a scoreless inning from the Golden Eagles, Leinstock recorded a pair of strikeouts to keep Charlotte off the board in the bottom of the second. The Golden Eagles and 49ers were unable to record a hit in the third, as Southern Miss continued to hold a 5-0 lead over Charlotte.
Southern Miss and Charlotte were blanked once again in the fourth, and the Golden Eagles failed to bring home two runners in the top of the fifth. The 49ers took advantage, as an RBI single and two-run homer from Charlotte trimmed Southern Miss' lead to 5-3 after five frames.
Charlotte trimmed the Southern Miss lead to one in the bottom of the sixth, but the Golden Eagles shut the door as the 49ers left the bases loaded. The Black & Gold did not respond in the top of the seventh and held a 5-4 lead.
The Golden Eagles shut the door on Charlotte's comeback attempt, securing the one-run victory.
"It was a good win for us," head coach Brian Levin said. "I think when they hit their home run, we started to panic a little bit. When you play a good team like that, they're going to make a run at you, but the team regained their composure well."
Southern Miss picked up its first win against the 49ers since 2017 and improves to 17-7 in the all-time series against Charlotte.
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles are back in action tomorrow for the second game of the series against Charlotte. Southern Miss takes the field for a noon start time, and the tilt will be streamed on ESPN+.
For the latest information on Golden Eagle Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB), and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
Players Mentioned
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/ Softball
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/ Softball
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/ Softball
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INF
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