University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Sunday, February 8
Hattiesburg, Miss.
9 a.m.
Southern Miss
3-1
3
vs
8
Louisiana Tech
4-0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
R
H
E
Louisiana Tech
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
5
8
11
2
Southern Miss.
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
3
5
1
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Southern Miss Softball Wraps Up the Black and Gold Challenge Splitting Two Games
2/8/2026 10:11:00 PM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss Softball (4-1) starts the day dropping game one to Louisiana Tech (4-0) in extra innings but bouncing back for game two with the bats waking up late to secure the win against Southeast Missouri State (0-5).
The Golden Eagles finish off opening weekend 4-1, the best start to the season since 2023 where Southern Miss went 5-0 through the first five games of the season.
"I thought that we had a good weekend overall. It feels good to finish 4-1 and the only loss in extra innings" said head coach Natalie Poole. "We had some good performances by people in the starting lineup and from those off the bench. We learned a lot about ourselves as a team and look forward to week two."
Southern Miss 3, Louisiana Tech 8
Kicking off the final day of the Black and Gold Challenge, Louisiana Tech gets the bats going in the first with a two-run top of the first off an RBI single to right and center respectively.
Southern Miss was quick to respond with Emma Day showing plate discipline drawing a two-out bases loaded walk bringing in Maddison Johnson.
The Golden Eagles kept up the pressure getting out of the top second unscathed allowing, Preseason All-Sun Belt, Hannah Christian to take a shot to left for an RBI double.
The tied score book didn't last long with a one out double to center propelling the Bulldogs back into the lead 3-2.
Natalie Herrington worked around an error at the top of the fourth with two ground outs and a fly out. Maddison Johnson utilized the opportunity, getting an RBI bunt single with Kinsley Gordon-Sivley turning on the jets tying the game for the second time at 3-3.
The senior, Herrington, held steady getting through one and a third innings before Olivia Christian got called into the pitching circle and ending the sixth. The score stayed consistent through the seventh with both offenses laying dormant before Louisiana Tech exploded for a five run eight with Southern Miss falling short, unable to respond.
Southern Miss 5, Southeast Missouri State 2
SEMO was the first to strike with a two-run shot to left with McCall Davis able to bounce back and close out the inning without further damage. Southern Miss was sluggish to get anything done offensively early in the contest.
Madilyn Graham, making her collegiate debut and recording her first collegiate win, made quick work of the middle innings relying on her defense only allowing two hits through four innings picking up one strikeout along the way.
With the tempo Madilyn Graham set, the offense found their own and snowballed to a five run sixth inning off a two RBI double from Katalina Ybarra, recording her first hit at Southern Miss. Nealy McManus showed off the wheels shortly after with a two RBI triple with Hannah Christian capping off the huge sixth with an RBI single to center with Southern Miss out front 5-2.
Poole calls on Kayla Giardina to close out the weekend where she pops up the first batter then strikes out the next two leaving the Golden Eagles with a 4-1 record on opening weekend at the Black and Gold Challenge.
Notables:
For the latest information on Southern Miss Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), X (@SouthernMissSB) and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
The Golden Eagles finish off opening weekend 4-1, the best start to the season since 2023 where Southern Miss went 5-0 through the first five games of the season.
"I thought that we had a good weekend overall. It feels good to finish 4-1 and the only loss in extra innings" said head coach Natalie Poole. "We had some good performances by people in the starting lineup and from those off the bench. We learned a lot about ourselves as a team and look forward to week two."
Southern Miss 3, Louisiana Tech 8
Kicking off the final day of the Black and Gold Challenge, Louisiana Tech gets the bats going in the first with a two-run top of the first off an RBI single to right and center respectively.
Southern Miss was quick to respond with Emma Day showing plate discipline drawing a two-out bases loaded walk bringing in Maddison Johnson.
The Golden Eagles kept up the pressure getting out of the top second unscathed allowing, Preseason All-Sun Belt, Hannah Christian to take a shot to left for an RBI double.
The tied score book didn't last long with a one out double to center propelling the Bulldogs back into the lead 3-2.
Natalie Herrington worked around an error at the top of the fourth with two ground outs and a fly out. Maddison Johnson utilized the opportunity, getting an RBI bunt single with Kinsley Gordon-Sivley turning on the jets tying the game for the second time at 3-3.
The senior, Herrington, held steady getting through one and a third innings before Olivia Christian got called into the pitching circle and ending the sixth. The score stayed consistent through the seventh with both offenses laying dormant before Louisiana Tech exploded for a five run eight with Southern Miss falling short, unable to respond.
Southern Miss 5, Southeast Missouri State 2
SEMO was the first to strike with a two-run shot to left with McCall Davis able to bounce back and close out the inning without further damage. Southern Miss was sluggish to get anything done offensively early in the contest.
Madilyn Graham, making her collegiate debut and recording her first collegiate win, made quick work of the middle innings relying on her defense only allowing two hits through four innings picking up one strikeout along the way.
With the tempo Madilyn Graham set, the offense found their own and snowballed to a five run sixth inning off a two RBI double from Katalina Ybarra, recording her first hit at Southern Miss. Nealy McManus showed off the wheels shortly after with a two RBI triple with Hannah Christian capping off the huge sixth with an RBI single to center with Southern Miss out front 5-2.
Poole calls on Kayla Giardina to close out the weekend where she pops up the first batter then strikes out the next two leaving the Golden Eagles with a 4-1 record on opening weekend at the Black and Gold Challenge.
Notables:
- Katalina Ybarra made her Southern Miss debut
- Madilyn Graham made her college debut
- McCall Davis made her college debut
- Madilyn Graham recorded her first collegiate win
- Hannah Christian has a five game hitting streak
- SEMO and Southern Miss have only played three games against each other in program history
- With Louisiana Tech joining the Sun Belt next season, Southern Miss has three non-conference games left against Louisiana Tech before their addition.
For the latest information on Southern Miss Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), X (@SouthernMissSB) and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: B. Campos (2-0)
L: White, BrookLynn (0-1)
Batting:
2B: R. Torres 1 ; A. Brooks 1
RBI: A. Furr 1 ; R. Torres 2 ; B. Gallaway 2 ; A. Brooks 3
SH: E. Heng 1 ; B. Gallaway 1
Base Running:
RUNS: A. Furr 2 ; R. Marchant 1 ; C. Eidson 1 ; R. Torres 1 ; B. Gallaway 1 ; A. Jefferson 1 ; A. Rogers 1
HBP: R. Torres 1
Batting:
2B: Christian, Hannah 1 ; Bennett, Kayce 1 ; Coker, Issie 1
RBI: Christian, Hannah 1 ; Johnson, Madison 2 ; Day, Emma 1
SH: McManus, Nealy 1
SF: Johnson, Madison 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Johnson, Madison 1 ; Gordon-Sivley, Kinsley 1 ; McManus, Nealy 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
RHP/INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
OF/UTL
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
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