Southern Miss
South Alabama
Southern Miss Softball to Host South Alabama in Home Season Finale
4/27/2023 2:16:00 PM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Southern Miss Softball team (20-19, 4-13 Sun Belt) hosts their last home series against South Alabama (32-13, 14-4 Sun Belt) April 28-30 at the Southern Miss Softball Complex. Senior recognition will also take place this weekend.
Last time out
This past Sunday at the Southern Miss Softball Complex, Southern Miss defeated the Chanticleers 3-2 to avert the Coastal Carolina series sweep. Paris Ferguson hit her second career RBI double to left field in the bottom of the second inning to score Smith and give the Black and Gold the early 1-0 lead. Iyanla De Jesus hit a solo home run over the center field wall to level the score for Coastal Carolina in the third inning shortly after. Maria Smith later recorded the second double of the afternoon to force a lead by two as pinch runner Jana Lee and Natalie Taylor made their way across home plate. The Chanticleers were down by one run to the Black and Gold when shortstop Abbey Montoya bunted, allowing first baseman Kierstin Roose to advance home.With two runners on and one out in the top of the seventh, Southern Miss completed a 6-4-3 ground double play to end the game at 3-2. Morgan Leinstock won her eleventh game of the year with two strikeouts and five walks.
Scouting the opponent
The Jags enter the weekend with a 32-13 overall record and a 14-4 in conference. This past weekend they swept the Georgia Southern series in Atlanta with a shutout and run-rule victory 11-0 on Sunday.17th-year head coach, Becky Clark leads the South Alabama softball program. She has been with the Jags since the start of the program, and under her direction, South has claimed three Sun Belt Conference Tournament titles and has advanced to the NCAA Regional final five times. The offensive leader for South Al would be right fielder Victoria Ortiz. She records a .357 batting average and leads the team in home runs (6) and RBIs (41). Right behind Ortiz is Meredith Keel with 34 runs and 47 hits. Both are the only two Jaguars who have appeared and started in 45 games. In the circle, Olivia Lackie has won Sun Belt pitcher of the week six times, has recorded a 1.39 ERA, 17-6 record, 11 shutouts, and has retired 171 batters this season. Pitcher Jenna Hardy is slightly behind her with a 1.75 ERA, a 14-7 record, and 118 strikeouts. Both pitchers have notched two saves this season. Overall the South Al pitching staff has a 1.62 ERA.
South Alabama leads the all-time series with games dating back to 2007. They have faced off in three tournaments the Purple and Gold Challenge, the Southern Miss Mizuno Classic, and the Mardi Gras Invitational. These two teams last met up two seasons ago in Hattiesburg. On April 20, 2021, where the Black and Gold fell to the Jaguars in extra innings for a 4-2 decision. Tata Davis led at the plate with a sixth-inning two-run homer to take the lead. The home run would be the only run scored for Southern Miss that night. From the Circle, Morgan Leinstock took the start for the Golden Eagles. Leinstock managed to keep the Jaguars scoreless through the first four innings, but in the fifth, she gave up one run, forcing her to be replaced by Makenna Pierce. Pierce would pitch the rest of the game and limit the Jaguars to one run. South Alabama would take a late-game lead in the eighth inning after scoring two runs on four singles. The two runs would be sufficient to defeat the Golden Eagles and ensure a Jaguar triumph.
Live stats and streaming will be available. Senior Day recognition will take place before Sunday's game.
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