Sunday, April 27
Hattiesburg, Miss. / Southern Miss Softball Complex
11 a.m.
Southern Miss
23-25, 0
2
vs
3
App State
21-25, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
App State
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
4
1
Southern Miss
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
2
5
0
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Softball’s Comeback Falls Short in Series Finale Against App State
4/27/2025 2:22:00 PM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss.-Southern Miss Softball (23-25, 10-10 Sun Belt) rallied late in Sunday's series finale against App State (21-25, 11-10 Sun Belt), but ultimately fell short, dropping a 3-2 decision at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
Despite the loss, the Golden Eagles capped their home slate with a 16-10 record, marking the program's most home wins since 2019. Southern Miss has extended their home winning record streak to four seasons, a feat last accomplished from 2003-2006.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning to two App State homers from Makayla McClain and Madison McIntyre, the Golden Eagles chipped away at the Mountaineers' lead with a run in the second from Nealy McManus' single and Hannah Christian's RBI triple, which sparked Southern Miss' comeback hopes in the bottom of the seventh.
Freshman pitcher Kayla Giardina settled in after the first inning and kept App State off the board the rest of the game, tossing a complete game while allowing just four hits and three runs across seven innings with three strikeouts in the loss.
App State starter Sophie Moshos also threw a complete game and worked out of jams, including stranding the bases loaded in the second after McManus' RBI hit.
Trailing 3-1 entering the seventh, Southern Miss mounted a late push as Shelby Allen singled and stole second with two outs. Christian then delivered a clutch RBI triple down the right field line to make it a one-run game. However, the Golden Eagles fell short of pushing across the tying run, as a groundout ended the game.
Christian paced the offense with two hits, including her second triple of the season. McManus also added a season-high two hits and an RBI.
Notes
Up Next
Southern Miss will conclude the regular season next weekend with a three-game series at Louisiana in Lafayette, La.
For the latest information on Southern Miss Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB) and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
Despite the loss, the Golden Eagles capped their home slate with a 16-10 record, marking the program's most home wins since 2019. Southern Miss has extended their home winning record streak to four seasons, a feat last accomplished from 2003-2006.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning to two App State homers from Makayla McClain and Madison McIntyre, the Golden Eagles chipped away at the Mountaineers' lead with a run in the second from Nealy McManus' single and Hannah Christian's RBI triple, which sparked Southern Miss' comeback hopes in the bottom of the seventh.
Freshman pitcher Kayla Giardina settled in after the first inning and kept App State off the board the rest of the game, tossing a complete game while allowing just four hits and three runs across seven innings with three strikeouts in the loss.
App State starter Sophie Moshos also threw a complete game and worked out of jams, including stranding the bases loaded in the second after McManus' RBI hit.
Trailing 3-1 entering the seventh, Southern Miss mounted a late push as Shelby Allen singled and stole second with two outs. Christian then delivered a clutch RBI triple down the right field line to make it a one-run game. However, the Golden Eagles fell short of pushing across the tying run, as a groundout ended the game.
Christian paced the offense with two hits, including her second triple of the season. McManus also added a season-high two hits and an RBI.
Notes
- Christian has hit safely in 22 of her last 24 games, and in all but one conference game this season. Her 28 hits in Sun Belt play rank first among true freshmen and are tied for second most overall in the league.
- Kayla Giardina surpassed 100 innings pitched this season, becoming the first Southern Miss freshman to reach the milestone since Samantha Robles in 2014. She joins Jana Lee as the first Golden Eagle pitching duo to each top 100 innings in a season since 2018 (Robles and Kim Crawson).
- Southern Miss has won four conference series this season, the most since winning four in 2016.
Up Next
Southern Miss will conclude the regular season next weekend with a three-game series at Louisiana in Lafayette, La.
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: Sophie Moshos (14-8)
L: Giardina, Kayla (7-5)
Batting:
HR: Makayla McClain 1 ; Madison McIntyre 1
RBI: Makayla McClain 1 ; Madison McIntyre 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Makayla McClain 1 ; Macy Hamby 1 ; Madison McIntyre 1
Batting:
3B: Christian, Hannah 1
RBI: Christian, Hannah 1 ; McManus, Nealy 1
SH: Bennett, Kayce 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lee, Jana 1 ; Allen, Shelby 1
SB: Allen, Shelby 1
HBP: Christian, Hannah 1 ; Valdivia, Ryanna 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballLetter to Softball: KK Agner
Sunday, April 28
Letter to Softball: Caroline Worrell
Sunday, April 28
Letter to Softball: Hannah Borden
Sunday, April 28
Letter to Softball: Maria Smith
Sunday, April 28