University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Sunday, March 15
Hattiesburg, Miss.
Noon
Southern Miss
9
vs
1
Louisiana
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Softball Takes Series Over Louisiana
3/15/2026 4:30:00 PM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss softball (20-11, 2-1 Sun Belt) scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to defeat Louisiana (17-12, 1-2 Sun Belt) to take the first series of Sun Belt Conference play and notch the program's first-ever series win over the Ragin' Cajuns on Sunday afternoon at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
The Golden Eagles also reached 20 wins in 31 games, the fourth-fastest total in program history with the March 15 win marking the third-earliest 20-win season in program history. The only teams to reach 20 wins in fewer games were the 1999 (20-4), 2000 (20-7) and 2001 (20-10) squads.
Kayla Giardina (Kenner, La.) twirled five innings to pick up her seventh complete game of the season and move to 10-3 on the 2026 campaign. She is the first Golden Eagle pitcher to reach 10-or-more wins since Morgan Leinstock finished the 2023 season with a 13-15 record.
Giardina surrendered her only run of the afternoon in the top of the inning on a solo home run from Haley Hart. Southern Miss got a single from Carrie Green (Loganville, Ga.) in the last of the first but did not advance a runner past first base.
The Ragin' Cajuns strung together back-to-back hits with a single and double, pushing the lead runner to third base before Giardina escaped the frame with a foul out to Julia Glasgow (Canton, Miss.). Kinsley Gordon-Sivley (Myrtle, Miss.) led off the bottom of the second with a single and advanced to second on a Kayce Bennett (Watson, La.) groundout.
Madison Johnson (Haymarket, Va.) doubled to left center to score Gordon-Sivley and tie the game 1-1. Nealy McManus (Millport, Ala.) walked in four pitches to bring up Glasgow to the plate with two runners on and one out. She sent a two-RBI double to right centerfield, scoring McManus and Johnson to give Southern Miss the lead and chase the Ragin' Cajuns' starter from the game.
Louisiana got out of the frame, but Giardina sat the Cajuns down in order in the third. Southern Miss tacked on another two unearned runs in the third with an RBI walk from McManus and Glasgow RBI hit by pitch, pushing the margin to 5-1.
Giardina retired the Cajuns in order one again to make it seven consecutive batters retired heading into the middle of the fourth. Southern Miss' side went down in order to end the fourth and Giardina made it eight straight Cajun batters retired before Louisiana's Mia Liscano dropped a one-out single to right centerfield.
Giardina got the next two batters out to flip the field and Southern Miss responded with back-to-back singles to open the home half of the fifth inning. Louisiana made another change in the circle with Johnson dropping a sacrifice bunt on the new arm's first pitch to move Bennett and Gordon-Sivley to scoring position.
McManus singled down the left line to score Gordon-Sivley and Bennett advanced to third. Glasgow wore a pitch to get on base and then advanced to second on a wild pitch that scored pinch runner Jadyn Rausch (Dothan, Ala.) and moved McManus to third. Hannah Christian (Hoover, Ala.) stepped up to the plate 0-for-3 on the day and fouled off the first six pitches of her at bat before taking a ball. On the eighth pitch of the AB, she singled up the middle to score Glasgow and McManus, triggering the eight-run run-rule in walk off fashion.
The Golden Eagles picked up their first-ever series win over Louisiana and now hold seven wins in the overall series, trailing the Cajuns 55-7 since 1987. Southern Miss also picked up its first wins over UL in Sun Belt Conference play this weekend with the SBC record sitting at 10-2 in favor of UL. Southern Miss is now 3-20 against Louisiana in Hattiesburg and 2-11 at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
Southern Miss also won its conference-opening series for the first time since 2021 when the Golden Eagles won the final two games at UTEP.
Up Next
Southern Miss opens a four-game road trip on Wednesday, March 18, against UNC Greensboro (18-12, 0-0 SoCon) at 5 p.m. CT. The meeting will be the first between the Golden Eagles and Spartans and Southern Miss' first at the UNCG Softball Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.
The midweek leads into Southern Miss' weekend series against Sun Belt foe App State (20-7, 1-2 Sun Belt) that opens on Friday, March 20, in Boone, N.C.
The Golden Eagles also reached 20 wins in 31 games, the fourth-fastest total in program history with the March 15 win marking the third-earliest 20-win season in program history. The only teams to reach 20 wins in fewer games were the 1999 (20-4), 2000 (20-7) and 2001 (20-10) squads.
Kayla Giardina (Kenner, La.) twirled five innings to pick up her seventh complete game of the season and move to 10-3 on the 2026 campaign. She is the first Golden Eagle pitcher to reach 10-or-more wins since Morgan Leinstock finished the 2023 season with a 13-15 record.
Giardina surrendered her only run of the afternoon in the top of the inning on a solo home run from Haley Hart. Southern Miss got a single from Carrie Green (Loganville, Ga.) in the last of the first but did not advance a runner past first base.
The Ragin' Cajuns strung together back-to-back hits with a single and double, pushing the lead runner to third base before Giardina escaped the frame with a foul out to Julia Glasgow (Canton, Miss.). Kinsley Gordon-Sivley (Myrtle, Miss.) led off the bottom of the second with a single and advanced to second on a Kayce Bennett (Watson, La.) groundout.
Madison Johnson (Haymarket, Va.) doubled to left center to score Gordon-Sivley and tie the game 1-1. Nealy McManus (Millport, Ala.) walked in four pitches to bring up Glasgow to the plate with two runners on and one out. She sent a two-RBI double to right centerfield, scoring McManus and Johnson to give Southern Miss the lead and chase the Ragin' Cajuns' starter from the game.
Louisiana got out of the frame, but Giardina sat the Cajuns down in order in the third. Southern Miss tacked on another two unearned runs in the third with an RBI walk from McManus and Glasgow RBI hit by pitch, pushing the margin to 5-1.
Giardina retired the Cajuns in order one again to make it seven consecutive batters retired heading into the middle of the fourth. Southern Miss' side went down in order to end the fourth and Giardina made it eight straight Cajun batters retired before Louisiana's Mia Liscano dropped a one-out single to right centerfield.
Giardina got the next two batters out to flip the field and Southern Miss responded with back-to-back singles to open the home half of the fifth inning. Louisiana made another change in the circle with Johnson dropping a sacrifice bunt on the new arm's first pitch to move Bennett and Gordon-Sivley to scoring position.
McManus singled down the left line to score Gordon-Sivley and Bennett advanced to third. Glasgow wore a pitch to get on base and then advanced to second on a wild pitch that scored pinch runner Jadyn Rausch (Dothan, Ala.) and moved McManus to third. Hannah Christian (Hoover, Ala.) stepped up to the plate 0-for-3 on the day and fouled off the first six pitches of her at bat before taking a ball. On the eighth pitch of the AB, she singled up the middle to score Glasgow and McManus, triggering the eight-run run-rule in walk off fashion.
The Golden Eagles picked up their first-ever series win over Louisiana and now hold seven wins in the overall series, trailing the Cajuns 55-7 since 1987. Southern Miss also picked up its first wins over UL in Sun Belt Conference play this weekend with the SBC record sitting at 10-2 in favor of UL. Southern Miss is now 3-20 against Louisiana in Hattiesburg and 2-11 at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
Southern Miss also won its conference-opening series for the first time since 2021 when the Golden Eagles won the final two games at UTEP.
Up Next
Southern Miss opens a four-game road trip on Wednesday, March 18, against UNC Greensboro (18-12, 0-0 SoCon) at 5 p.m. CT. The meeting will be the first between the Golden Eagles and Spartans and Southern Miss' first at the UNCG Softball Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.
The midweek leads into Southern Miss' weekend series against Sun Belt foe App State (20-7, 1-2 Sun Belt) that opens on Friday, March 20, in Boone, N.C.
– #SMTTT –
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
C/UTL
/ 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