April 15, 2000

Box Score

St. Louis - Southern Miss pitcher Courtney Blades showed Saturday why she is the country's best pitcher. The senior started both games of a doubleheader, allowing just four hits over 10 innings, and struck out 14 batters without surrendering a walk. Behind Blades, No. 10 Southern Miss swept a doubleheader on Saturday, 11-3 and 5-0.

In game one, Blades pitched the first three innings of the game and did not allow a hit in striking out six Billikens. The Lady Eagles scored two runs in the first and three runs in the second and third innings. Southern Miss added two more runs in the fifth for an 11-0 lead before the Billikens reached Felicia Gonzales, who relieved Blades in the fourth inning. Meredith Henry began the bottom of the fifth with a single and Lisa Rajala followed with a walk. Katie Duffin moved the duo over with a sac bunt and Bridget Fletcher plated Henry with an RBI single. Jamie Hayden drew a walk and Erin Jeffrey lashed another single to drive in Rajala. Beth Puttcamp tallied the fourth hit of the inning when she singled in Fletcher, but the Billiken rally ended after that. USM added one run in the seventh for the final 11-3 margin. Puttcamp and Henry both had two hits for SLU. Southern Miss used its speed with great effectiveness, stealing six bases. Erin Johnson led the Lady Eagles with three hits. Gonzalez worked four innings to pick up the win for Southern Miss.

Kristin Rossi held the Lady Eagles to five runs, three of them earned, but the Billikens could not generate any offense against the All-American Blades. SLU managed just four hits in the second game and Blades allowed just two Bills to reach second base. Blades registered her 31st victory on the season, which leads the country. Jeffrey, Henry, Hayden and Beth Yagge managed hits off Blades. Chrystal Stevens paced Southern Miss with three hits and Jennifer Ford hit safely twice.

The Billikens fall to 8-29, 2-6 in Conference USA while Southern Miss improves to 41-10, 6-1 in the conference. The teams play a single game starting at 1 p.m. on Sunday at The Billiken Sports Center.