Thursday, February 13
Hattiesburg, Miss. / Southern Miss Softball Complex
6 p.m.
Southern Miss
2-4
2
vs
1
Ole Miss
4-2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
R
H
E
Ole Miss
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
7
2
Southern Miss
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
2
5
3
Softball Walks Off Ole Miss for Home Opener Victory
2/13/2025 11:15:00 PM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss.-Southern Miss Softball (2-4, 0-0 Sun Belt) battled with Ole Miss (4-2, 0-0 SEC) through ten innings in its home opener, securing its first home victory versus the Rebels in nearly a decade in dramatic fashion with a walk-off RBI single.
With two outs and a two-strike count in the bottom of the tenth, senior outfielder Natalie Taylor delivered the game-winning single through left field, driving in Shelby Allen to secure Southern Miss' first victory over Ole Miss since 2018 and its first against the Rebels at the Southern Miss Softball Complex since Feb. 24, 2016.
https://x.com/SouthernMissSB/status/1890243359303991495
Southern Miss' path to victory featured various moments of late-game heroics, as the Golden Eagles fought to force extra innings in a do-or-die moment. Down to their final out with a full count in the bottom of the seventh, graduate student Mikaila Fox delivered a clutch single to center field, bringing home Carlee Durham for the game-tying run.
"They were great times to step up, and there was great maturity by our seniors, and I am really proud of those moments," head coach Natalie Poole said. "[A win] like this feels awesome, because we took a step forward in that last game in Clearwater last weekend, and lost 2-1 to a ranked Northwestern team. For us to be able to take a step forward says a lot about who we want to be, what we are satisfied with, and what we want."
Before that pivotal moment, Southern Miss had managed three hits while facing a historic performance from Ole Miss freshman pitcher Miali Guachino, who set a program record with 19 strikeouts. The Pala, Calif., native received the loss despite her complete-game effort, throwing nine innings and 181 total pitches.
Meanwhile, Southern Miss was led in the circle by the combined forces of senior Jana Lee and freshman Kayla Giardina, who each threw five innings, totaling 131 pitches and eight strikeouts.. Lee, the team's starter, allowed four hits and one run while striking out three. Giardina took over in relief, delivering a career-high five strikeouts across five shutout frames on the way to earning her first career win. Neither Lee nor Giardina allowed a walk in the match.
"It was a great game and great effort all around. Jana [Lee] gave us the start that we needed, and I thought that Kayla [Giardina] came in and did a stellar job of keeping things where they were and managing a situation that could get bigger than her as a freshman," Poole said. "It was a great team effort there pitching-wise. "
After a scoreless first two innings, Ole Miss got on the scoreboard first with a solo home run by Ashton Lansdell.
Aside from a hit-by-pitch and Allen's walk, Guachino and the Rebels retired every Southern Miss batter over four straight innings. The momentum shifted when Giardina responded by retiring the side in order in the seventh, capping the frame with back-to-back strikeouts. In the following frame, Ryanna Valdivia reached base after being hit by a pitch, bringing in Carlee Durham as a pinch runner. A sacrifice bunt by Maddie Weeks moved Durham into scoring position, setting up Mikaila Fox's clutch RBI single to tie the game.
While Ole Miss loaded the bases in the top of the eighth, two quick fielder's choices left all three Rebels stranded on base. The Golden Eagles again prevented any runs in the ninth, despite a threatening runner on third base. Giardina closed the inning out with a strikeout.
Kivett earned Southern Miss' first hit in extra innings with a single to third base but was stranded on base. Giardina and the Golden Eagles retired the side in order, bringing up Allen, who delivered the leadoff double, and then the game-winning RBI single from Taylor.
Notes
For the latest information on Southern Miss Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB) and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
With two outs and a two-strike count in the bottom of the tenth, senior outfielder Natalie Taylor delivered the game-winning single through left field, driving in Shelby Allen to secure Southern Miss' first victory over Ole Miss since 2018 and its first against the Rebels at the Southern Miss Softball Complex since Feb. 24, 2016.
https://x.com/SouthernMissSB/status/1890243359303991495
Southern Miss' path to victory featured various moments of late-game heroics, as the Golden Eagles fought to force extra innings in a do-or-die moment. Down to their final out with a full count in the bottom of the seventh, graduate student Mikaila Fox delivered a clutch single to center field, bringing home Carlee Durham for the game-tying run.
"They were great times to step up, and there was great maturity by our seniors, and I am really proud of those moments," head coach Natalie Poole said. "[A win] like this feels awesome, because we took a step forward in that last game in Clearwater last weekend, and lost 2-1 to a ranked Northwestern team. For us to be able to take a step forward says a lot about who we want to be, what we are satisfied with, and what we want."
Before that pivotal moment, Southern Miss had managed three hits while facing a historic performance from Ole Miss freshman pitcher Miali Guachino, who set a program record with 19 strikeouts. The Pala, Calif., native received the loss despite her complete-game effort, throwing nine innings and 181 total pitches.
Meanwhile, Southern Miss was led in the circle by the combined forces of senior Jana Lee and freshman Kayla Giardina, who each threw five innings, totaling 131 pitches and eight strikeouts.. Lee, the team's starter, allowed four hits and one run while striking out three. Giardina took over in relief, delivering a career-high five strikeouts across five shutout frames on the way to earning her first career win. Neither Lee nor Giardina allowed a walk in the match.
"It was a great game and great effort all around. Jana [Lee] gave us the start that we needed, and I thought that Kayla [Giardina] came in and did a stellar job of keeping things where they were and managing a situation that could get bigger than her as a freshman," Poole said. "It was a great team effort there pitching-wise. "
After a scoreless first two innings, Ole Miss got on the scoreboard first with a solo home run by Ashton Lansdell.
Aside from a hit-by-pitch and Allen's walk, Guachino and the Rebels retired every Southern Miss batter over four straight innings. The momentum shifted when Giardina responded by retiring the side in order in the seventh, capping the frame with back-to-back strikeouts. In the following frame, Ryanna Valdivia reached base after being hit by a pitch, bringing in Carlee Durham as a pinch runner. A sacrifice bunt by Maddie Weeks moved Durham into scoring position, setting up Mikaila Fox's clutch RBI single to tie the game.
While Ole Miss loaded the bases in the top of the eighth, two quick fielder's choices left all three Rebels stranded on base. The Golden Eagles again prevented any runs in the ninth, despite a threatening runner on third base. Giardina closed the inning out with a strikeout.
Kivett earned Southern Miss' first hit in extra innings with a single to third base but was stranded on base. Giardina and the Golden Eagles retired the side in order, bringing up Allen, who delivered the leadoff double, and then the game-winning RBI single from Taylor.
Notes
- The game's duration was three hours and three minutes, marking the Golden Eagles' longest match since a 14-inning loss on March 18, 2017 versus Louisiana Tech. The game also goes down as the second-longest match in the Southern Miss-Ole Miss series, ranking only behind an 11-inning loss on March 29, 2000.
- Five batters recorded Southern Miss' five hits: Shelby Allen, Hannah Christian, Natalie Taylor, Mikaila Fox and Faith Kivett.
- Redshirt sophomore Paris Ferguson played in the match against her sister, Star Ferguson, who is a senior outfielder for Ole Miss.
- Southern Miss' win versus Ole Miss is its first against an SEC opponent since a 3-0 home shutout against Mississippi State on April 6, 2022.
For the latest information on Southern Miss Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB) and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Giardina, Kayla (1-0)
L: Miali Guachino (2-2)
Batting:
2B: Aliyah Binford 1 ; Lexie Brady 1
HR: Ashton Lansdell 1
RBI: Ashton Lansdell 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ashton Lansdell 1
SB: Jaden Pone 1 ; Taylor Strain 1 ; Addison Duke 1
HBP: Persy Llamas 1 ; Jamie Mackay 1
Batting:
2B: Allen, Shelby 1
RBI: Taylor, Natalie 1 ; Fox, Mikaila 1
SH: Christian, Hannah 1 ; Weeks, Maddie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Allen, Shelby 1 ; Durham, Carlee 1
SB: Allen, Shelby 1 ; Christian, Hannah 1
HBP: Moak, Madison 1 ; Taylor, Natalie 1 ; Valdivia, Ryanna 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
ph/lf
AB
1
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF/UT
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
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