Softball Begins Three-Game Series at Southern Miss on Saturday

Game Notes
Live Stream: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
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HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Marshall softball team completes its weeklong road journey with a three-game series at Southern Miss, March 30-31. The Saturday doubleheader begins at 2 p.m. eastern, with the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m. eastern.

The Thundering Herd comes in to the weekend with an overall record of 21-11 and 4-2 in Conference USA. The Golden Eagles enter with a 17-14 record and 4-5 in conference play.

Last Time Out: at Longwood and No. 20 JMU - Marshall Goes 0-2
Marshall struggled in the circle and on defense in the 13-1 loss to Longwood. The Herd scored first in the top of the first as junior Blakely Burch led off with a double and later scored on a single from sophomore Katie Adams. Marshall used three pitchers in the circle in the loss.

The Herd bounced back with a better game all-around, even despite the 8-5 loss to the 20th ranked James Madison Dukes. Marshall got on the board first again in the first inning as Aly Harrell belted her ninth home run of the season, and is tied for 11th in program history with 20 career homers. JMU took the lead in the bottom of the first and extended the lead to two, 4-2, after the fourth inning. Marshall fought in the top of the fifth scoring three runs and taking a one-run lead, 5-4. However, the Dukes kept up the pressure scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth and one in the sixth. Marshall had opportunities late with runners on base but could not find the timely hit.

After hitting the 2-run homer in the first, Harrell was hit by a pitch in her next three plate appearances. It was the first time a Marshall player had been plunked three times in a game since Sarah Chamberlain on March 29, 2002 against Buffalo. Senior Hayden Ellis reached base three times with two walks and a base hit. Senior Briana Daiss recorded two hits.

Series History: 31 meetings, Marshall leads 17-14
The series between Marshall and Southern Miss began on March 11, 2006, the Herd's first season in Conference USA. The Golden Eagles took the series, including a 12-inning game in the very first meeting, but then Marshall defeated USM, 7-4, in the C-USA Tournament later that year. The Golden Eagles swept the series in 2007 and 2010. The Herd bounced back winning the three-game set in 2011, 2012 and earning the sweep in 2013. The sweep in 2013 was part of what became a program-record 14-game winning streak. With the shakeup in C-USA, the two teams did not meet again until 2017. The Herd entered the weekend in Hattiesburg on a new program-record 16-game winning streak. Marshall won the first game 5-0 to make it 17 in a row, before USM broke the streak with an 8-0 win in game two. The Herd rebounded with a 3-0 win in the series finale. In the last meeting, March 17-18, 2018 in Huntington, Marshall swept the series. The Herd took game one, 7-2, with 10 hits and five strikeouts from Abigail Tolbert. Marshall won game two, 6-3, despite two home runs by the Golden Eagles. Ali Burdette earned the win with four strikeouts in five innings. The Herd completed the sweep with a 4-1 win as Kailee Williamson went the distance.

Scouting the Golden Eagles
Southern Miss comes in with a 17-14 record and 4-5 in conference. The Golden Eagles began C-USA action dropping 2-of-3 to North Texas and 2-of-3 to Florida Atlantic. USM traveled to El Paso March 23-24, and won the series over UTEP. The Golden Eagles two wins were 11-3 and 13-2 but fell in game two 7-6. Southern Miss is tops in the conference in team ERA with 2.18. Abby Trahan leads the team with a 1.70 ERA in 90.1 innings. Trahan has a 7-7 record, 11 complete games and 71 strikeouts. Bailie Springfield is second with a 1.77 ERA, a 5-1 record and 19 strikeouts in 35.2 innings. On the offensive side, the team is hitting .294 and has outscored the opposition 164-88. Southern Miss batters have drawn 121 walks, while the USM pitchers have only issued 60. Five starters are batting over .300 this season with Sarah Van Schaik (.360), Chase Nelson (.351), Lacey Sumerlin (.338), Alyssa Davis (.323) and Destini Brown (.313) leading the way. Van Schaik has 11 doubles and 26 RBI. Davis leads the team with six home runs and has nine doubles as well.

Up Next
Following the series in Hattiesburg, Marshall returns to Dot Hicks Field for a conference series against the WKU Lady Hilltoppers, April 6-7. The Saturday doubleheader begins at 1 p.m.

For all of the latest information on the Marshall Softball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdSB, Facebook at Marshall University Softball and on www.herdzone.com.

To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!

---HerdZone.com---

Marshall University Athletics

Softball Begins Three-Game Series at Southern Miss on Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Katie Adams

Blakely Burch

Ali Burdette

Briana Daiss

Hayden Ellis

Aly Harrell

Abigail Tolbert

Kailee Williamson

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