Saturday, March 22
Hattiesburg, Miss. / Southern Miss Softball Complex
2 p.m.
Southern Miss
16-15, 0
7
vs
3
Troy
20-12, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Troy
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
3
7
3
Southern Miss
0
0
3
0
0
4
X
7
11
0
Softball Clinches Series Win Over Troy with 7-3 Victory
3/22/2025 5:55:00 PM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss Softball (16-15, 3-2 Sun Belt) carried its momentum from Friday's first home conference win into Saturday, securing a 7-3 victory over Troy (20-12, 2-3 Sun Belt).
The Golden Eagles pulled away late with a four-run sixth inning, marking their third consecutive win and seventh in their last 10 games.
Southern Miss showcased its offensive firepower with 11 hits, recording its eighth game this season with double-digit hits. Freshman Carrie Green led all players with a three-for-three performance, while Mikaila Fox and Natalie Taylor each added two hits.
Starter Natalie Herrington earned her fourth win of the season, tossing three innings while giving up four hits and two earned runs with one strikeout. Meanwhile, freshman Kayla Giardina pitched in relief for four innings en route to earning her first career save, allowing three hits, one walk and just one earned run with three strikeouts to secure the victory.
After two quick innings, Troy struck first again in a similar fashion to Friday's game, as Taylor McKinney hit an RBI single for the Trojans' first run.
Southern Miss answered in the bottom of the third, plating three runs. Maddie Weeks tied the game with an RBI single, followed by Ryanna Valdivia reaching on a fielder's choice to bring Green home for the go-ahead run. Fox capped the inning with an RBI single to score Hannah Christian, giving the Golden Eagles a 3-1 lead.
Troy kept the pressure on in the fourth as Caiden Oliva launched a solo home run on the first pitch of the inning, trimming the deficit to 3-2. Giardina entered in relief and settled in, striking out two to escape the inning.
After retiring the side in order to start the sixth, the Golden Eagles broke the game open with four consecutive hits. Senior shortstop Claire Ginder started the inning with her first double of the season, followed by singles from Taylor and Green. While Troy caught pinch runner Carlee Durham at third, Southern Miss capitalized on a throwing error following Christian's RBI single to score three runs on one play.
Southern Miss added final insurance as Valdivia advanced into scoring position on a double to left center, followed by an RBI double from Fox to push the lead to 7-2.
Troy managed one last run in the seventh on an RBI double from Makaley Boswell, but a final flyout to center field sealed Southern Miss' first Sun Belt series win of the season.
Southern Miss Notes
- Southern Miss moves above. 500 for the first time this season at 16-15. After a challenging early schedule, the Golden Eagles have found their rhythm, winning 12 of their last 16 games.
- The Golden Eagles are now 12-3 at home, winning nine of their last 10 at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
- Saturday's win marks Southern Miss' first Sun Belt series win over Troy. The Trojans swept the Golden Eagles in Hattiesburg in 2023 and won 2-1 in last season's series at Troy.
- Troy has lost consecutive games only twice this season, previously dropping back-to-back matchups to Georgia Tech and Michigan in February.
- This is just the third time Southern Miss has won consecutive games against Troy, with the last occurrence in 2008. The only other stretch came between 1988-89. The Golden Eagles now have a chance to win three straight against the Trojans for the first time in series history.
Up Next
Southern Miss looks to complete the series sweep with a final game against Troy on Sunday, with first pitch set for noon at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
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: Herrington, Natalie (4-4)
L: Holt, Mya (8-3)
S: Giardina, Kayla (1)
Batting:
2B: Boswell, Makaley 2
3B: Turner, Natalie 1
HR: Oliva, Caiden 1
RBI: Boswell, Makaley 1 ; McKinney, Taylor 1 ; Oliva, Caiden 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Boswell, Makaley 1 ; Oliva, Caiden 1 ; Tidmore, Mia 1
Batting:
2B: Valdivia, Ryanna 1 ; Fox, Mikaila 1 ; Ginder, Claire 1
RBI: Christian, Hannah 1 ; Weeks, Maddie 1 ; Valdivia, Ryanna 1 ; Fox, Mikaila 2
SH: Fox, Mikaila 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Christian, Hannah 2 ; Valdivia, Ryanna 1 ; Taylor, Natalie 2 ; Green, Carrie 2
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
2
H
3
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
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