Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Southern Miss
@HerdSB Splits Day One at Southern Miss
4/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Game One Box (PDF)
Game Two Box (PDF)
Coach Stanton Post Game Video
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Marshall softball split the doubleheader with Southern Miss Saturday and suffered its first loss in Conference USA play. The Thundering Herd took game one, 5-0, and fell in five-innings in game two, 8-0. Marshall's program-record winning streak ends at 17.
Marshall is now 26-5 overall and 10-1 in Conference USA. Southern Miss is 18-17 and 4-7 in conference action.
Game One: Marshall 5, Southern Miss 0
Senior pitcher Jordan Dixon gave the Herd a great start taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning. Dixon finished the game with her 20th career shutout and 95th career win. The senior struck out eight and is now just three strikeouts away from 1,000. Marshall improved its program record to 17-straight wins.
Junior Elicia D'Orazio led off the game with a triple to left field. Two batters later, sophomore Briana Daiss dropped down a squeeze bunt that allowed D'Orazio to score from third. Marshall took the early lead, 1-0.
After getting runners on in the second and third without adding any runs, freshman Elizabeth DeShields belted her first career home run to left and gave Marshall a 2-0 lead.
In the fifth, the Herd extended the lead to four runs as junior Taylor McCord crushed a two-run home run for her eighth of the season. D'Orazio scored her second run of the game on the homer after reaching base safely on an infield error.
In the seventh, Marshall added one more insurance run to build the lead to five. McCord led off with a double, advanced to third on a ground out and then scored on a bunt single by Daiss.
Taylor McCord was named the Dot Hicks Significant Sticker Award winner after going 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and a two-run home run. On the defensive side, McCord tossed out two more base runners to bring her season total to 10.
Game two: Southern Miss 8, Marshall 0 (5 innings)
The Golden Eagles ended the Herd's 17-game winning streak in the second game of the doubleheader. Southern Miss scored one run in the first and then seven in the fifth to gain the run-rule win.
Freshman Kailee Williamson started in the circle for Marshall and took the loss. Williamson pitched the first three innings and was relieved by sophomore Ali Burdette. Burdette lasted one inning and allowed two hits and two runs. Dixon entered the game in the fifth and faced two batters. Williamson came back in the ball game in the fifth as Southern Miss took advantage of three Marshall errors to take control of the game.
Marshall managed just four hits offensively with Taylor McCord, Shaelynn Braxton, Elizabeth DeShields and Eloise Tribolet collecting one hit each.
COACH QUOTES
Head Coach Shonda Stanton:
"Dixon was great in game one. She gave us a great start and didn't give up a hit until the fifth, just an infield single. She was outstanding, had eight strikeouts, set the tone early and I was really pleased with what she did out there. Offensively, I felt that we stranded a few too many runners and didn't get that timely, clutch big hit but I felt that we did do some great things. It was nice to see Liz (DeShields) get her first long ball, she has been playing very well for us. McCord went deep and Daiss put down a nice squeeze so we did get some good timely clutch hits but I would have liked to see us break the game open. I was pleased to get the win there in game one."
"In game two, we didn't compete. You have to stick to the game plan and when you chase pitches out of the zone, that is the result you are going to get, routine pop flys. And so I never felt like we were in the game offensively. We are better than that. We have to have better plate appearances and stick to the game plan and that is what I expect out of this group. On defense, we were struggling to find the strike zone so that hurt us and then didn't make the plays defensively. In the inning when they broke it open we make two errors and then a third ball that should have been caught in the outfield, so you're giving them three, four and five outs. You do that and anybody in this conference is going to compete with you."
"I think some people don't appreciate how difficult (a 17-game winning streak is) in the sport of softball where you are playing the same team three times and you are running different pitchers out there. So what we accomplished over the month of March, to put ourselves in position to get the strong RPI rankings and getting the Top 25 votes, this team has earned. This team is a lot of fun to coach and a lot of fun to watch as a fan. So I am really impressed that we set ourselves up in a position to be able to finish strong. You want to have a fast start, play hard in the middle and finish strong."
UP NEXT
Marshall will finish its series with Southern Miss on Sunday, April 2 with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. central, 2 p.m. eastern. Fans can tune in on 88.1 WMUL-FM and online at www.marshall.edu/wmul.
