March 19, 2005

Game One Stats

Game Two Stats

St. Louis - The Saint Louis softball team saw its four-game winning streak come to an end as Southern Miss swept both ends of a doubleheader at The Billiken Sports Center. The Golden Eagles won game one 5-0 and took game two 8-4.

The Billikens' pitching staff ran its scoreless streak to 25-1/3 innings before Southern Miss broke through. SLU starter Lorena Floccari gave up just two hits in the first four innings, but the Golden Eagles strung five hits to tally four runs in the top of the fifth. The Billikens tried to answer in their half of the inning. Christy Ernst was hit by a pitch and took second when Adrienne May walked. However, the Bills stranded both runners.

Southern Miss tacked on a run in the seventh on Ashley Davis' solo home run. Allison Appenfeller doubled in the seventh, and pinch runner Kristi Rasnic took third on a ground out, but the Billikens were stymied. Southern Miss pitcher Danielle Wymer limited the Billikens to three hits to notch her sixth win of the season.

The Golden Eagles scored two runs in four different innings to ease to a four-run win in the second game. Southern Miss jumped out to a 2-0 lead after another Davis solo blast. In the third, Davis struck again with a two-run homer to left for a 4-0 USM advantage. The Billikens got one run back when May tripled to start the bottom of the third and scored on Ashlee Heady's RBI grounder.

Southern Miss scored two more runs in the fourth, before the Billikens pushed across a run in the fourth. Beth Schomaker worked a walk, and Rasnic pinch ran. Ernst followed with a single and took third on a fielder's choice. Rasnic came home on Jody Herbert's RBI single up the middle to cut the margin to 6-2. The Golden Eagles scored two more in the sixth to build an 8-2 lead. The Billikens attempted to rally in the seventh. Heady singled, and Kara Sell doubled in a run. Katie Hoffarth had a single to left to chase home Sell as the Billikens drew to 8-4. But the Bills would not chip away any further as Southern Miss held on for the win.

The Billikens fall to 8-11 overall, 1-4 in Conference USA. Southern Miss improves to 16-15, 4-1 in C-USA. The teams close out the series with a single game on Sunday at noon.