Friday, February 21
Baton Rouge, La. / Tiger Park
1 p.m.
Southern Miss
4-7
7
vs
0
Nicholls
5-8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Nicholls
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
Southern Miss
1
2
0
2
0
2
X
7
10
0
Softball Splits First Day at LSU Invitational
2/21/2025 9:55:00 PM | Softball
BATON ROUGE, La.-Southern Miss Softball (4-8, 0-0 Sun Belt) split two matches at the LSU Invitational, picking up a win against Nicholls and dropping its evening game at No. 5 LSU.
Game One: Southern Miss 7-Nicholls 0
Southern Miss started the day with a 7-0 shutout victory against Nicholls, backed by a complete game performance from Jana Lee in the circle and a season-high ten hits offensively.Â
Lee and the Golden Eagles held the Colonels scoreless, earning the first shutout since a 3-0 win versus Georgia State at home last season on April 13, 24. Lee threw 86 pitches, striking out three batters while giving up just three hits.Â
Meanwhile, the bats got going for Southern Miss, fueled by leadoff hitter Hannah Christina's three for three game at the plate. The freshman outfielder ripped a career-high three hits, stole one base, scored a run and reached base in the game after being hit by a pitch. Maddie Weeks also registered her first multi-hit game of the season with two singles.
Christian led off the match with a double, and following a walk from Lee, she scored on a sacrifice fly from Natalie Taylor. The Golden Eagles tallied two runs in the second as Carrie Green hit an RBI single, followed by another RBI single from Christian that moved Claire Ginder up to third and to home on a Nicholls' fielding error.
The Golden Eagles earned three hits in the fourth, starting with consecutive singles from Mikaila Fox and Ginder. With the bases loaded, Weeks delivered a 2 RBI single to increase the lead to 5-0.
Southern Miss added further insurance in the sixth with a final two runs, scored by a 2 RBI single from Kayce Bennett.
Redshirt sophomore Nealy McManus made her first appearance since March 1, 2024 versus Samford, returning from an injury last season. McManus came into the game in the fourth inning as a pinch runner, scoring a run from Weeks' single.
Game Two: No. 5 LSU 9-Southern Miss 3
Southern Miss fought back from an early deficit against No. 5 LSU Friday night, but freshman pitcher Jayden Heavener earned a save for the Tigers, holding the Golden Eagles scoreless in the final two innings with five strikeouts on the way to a 9-3 decision.
Emilee Casanova earned the win for LSU, while Southern Miss starter Natalie Herrington received the loss. Herrington pitched four innings, while freshman Olivia Christian came in relief for the remainder of the game.Â
Casanova threw three shutout innings while the Tigers jumped to a 5-0 lead. However, the Golden Eagles responded with three unanswered runs in the fourth and fifth innings to shave the deficit to two.Â
Green loaded the bases with her single to right field, and Fox then scored the team's first run of the game on a wild pitch. Lee earned an RBI for the second run of the frame on a fielder's choice that sent Ginder home.
Fox and Valdivia each earned their second hits of the game in the fifth inning to put another run on the board. After two early outs, Valdivia doubled and then brought up Fox, who scored her with an RBI single.
LSU negated the Golden Eagles' momentum with three runs the following inning and then added another run from an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth as Heavener retired the side two consecutive innings to close out the game.
McKenzie Edwards led the Tigers with three hits and Danieca Coffey, Maci Bergeron, and McKenzie Redoutey all recorded two hits apiece. For the Golden Eagles, Weeks, Valdivia and Fox produced two hits each.
Southern Miss' eight hits against LSU tied a season-high allowed by the undefeated Tigers.
Up Next
Southern Miss continues play at the LSU Invitational tomorrow against Penn State at 11 a.m. and then against the Tigers at 4 p.m.
For the latest information on Southern Miss Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB) and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
Â
Game One: Southern Miss 7-Nicholls 0
Southern Miss started the day with a 7-0 shutout victory against Nicholls, backed by a complete game performance from Jana Lee in the circle and a season-high ten hits offensively.Â
Lee and the Golden Eagles held the Colonels scoreless, earning the first shutout since a 3-0 win versus Georgia State at home last season on April 13, 24. Lee threw 86 pitches, striking out three batters while giving up just three hits.Â
Meanwhile, the bats got going for Southern Miss, fueled by leadoff hitter Hannah Christina's three for three game at the plate. The freshman outfielder ripped a career-high three hits, stole one base, scored a run and reached base in the game after being hit by a pitch. Maddie Weeks also registered her first multi-hit game of the season with two singles.
Christian led off the match with a double, and following a walk from Lee, she scored on a sacrifice fly from Natalie Taylor. The Golden Eagles tallied two runs in the second as Carrie Green hit an RBI single, followed by another RBI single from Christian that moved Claire Ginder up to third and to home on a Nicholls' fielding error.
The Golden Eagles earned three hits in the fourth, starting with consecutive singles from Mikaila Fox and Ginder. With the bases loaded, Weeks delivered a 2 RBI single to increase the lead to 5-0.
Southern Miss added further insurance in the sixth with a final two runs, scored by a 2 RBI single from Kayce Bennett.
Redshirt sophomore Nealy McManus made her first appearance since March 1, 2024 versus Samford, returning from an injury last season. McManus came into the game in the fourth inning as a pinch runner, scoring a run from Weeks' single.
Game Two: No. 5 LSU 9-Southern Miss 3
Southern Miss fought back from an early deficit against No. 5 LSU Friday night, but freshman pitcher Jayden Heavener earned a save for the Tigers, holding the Golden Eagles scoreless in the final two innings with five strikeouts on the way to a 9-3 decision.
Emilee Casanova earned the win for LSU, while Southern Miss starter Natalie Herrington received the loss. Herrington pitched four innings, while freshman Olivia Christian came in relief for the remainder of the game.Â
Casanova threw three shutout innings while the Tigers jumped to a 5-0 lead. However, the Golden Eagles responded with three unanswered runs in the fourth and fifth innings to shave the deficit to two.Â
Green loaded the bases with her single to right field, and Fox then scored the team's first run of the game on a wild pitch. Lee earned an RBI for the second run of the frame on a fielder's choice that sent Ginder home.
Fox and Valdivia each earned their second hits of the game in the fifth inning to put another run on the board. After two early outs, Valdivia doubled and then brought up Fox, who scored her with an RBI single.
LSU negated the Golden Eagles' momentum with three runs the following inning and then added another run from an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth as Heavener retired the side two consecutive innings to close out the game.
McKenzie Edwards led the Tigers with three hits and Danieca Coffey, Maci Bergeron, and McKenzie Redoutey all recorded two hits apiece. For the Golden Eagles, Weeks, Valdivia and Fox produced two hits each.
Southern Miss' eight hits against LSU tied a season-high allowed by the undefeated Tigers.
Up Next
Southern Miss continues play at the LSU Invitational tomorrow against Penn State at 11 a.m. and then against the Tigers at 4 p.m.
For the latest information on Southern Miss Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB) and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lee, Jana (2-3)
L: Yoo, Molly (2-3)
Batting:
2B: Christian, Hannah 1
RBI: Weeks, Maddie 2 ; Taylor, Natalie 1 ; Bennett, Kayce 2 ; Green, Carrie 1
SH: Weeks, Maddie 1
SF: Taylor, Natalie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Christian, Hannah 1 ; Allen, Shelby 1 ; Weeks, Maddie 1 ; Valdivia, Ryanna 1 ; McManus, Nealy 1 ; Ginder, Claire 2
SB: Christian, Hannah 1
HBP: Christian, Hannah 1 ; Moak, Madison 1 ; Valdivia, Ryanna 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
3
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C/OF
/ Softball
RHP/INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
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