Southern Miss Softball began its participation in The Spring Games with a split performance on the first day, losing to Loyola University Chicago before defeating Bethune-Cookman.
In the opening game against Loyola, Southern Miss pitcher Kayla Giardina delivered four scoreless innings and finished the fifth inning but allowed an RBI single that broke a scoreless tie. The Golden Eagles managed nine hits throughout the contest but struggled to convert them into runs until late in the game. In the seventh inning, Hannah Christian led off with a single, followed by Maddison Johnson’s double. A pinch-hit infield single brought Christian home, and Kayce Bennett added an RBI double. Despite this effort, Loyola secured a 3-2 win when Adelina Staden hit a walk-off single up the middle, driving in two runs.
The second game saw Southern Miss rebound with an 8-4 victory over Bethune-Cookman. Nealy McManus led with three RBIs while Emma Day contributed two more. After Bethune-Cookman scored first, Southern Miss responded in the second inning with seven runs, highlighted by Day’s two-RBI single and McManus’s two-RBI double. Pitcher Briley Whittington held Bethune-Cookman through most of the game before Abigail Morgan entered to record her first save for Southern Miss.
Notable moments included Loyola and Southern Miss meeting for the first time in program history, resulting in a win for Loyola. The last matchup between Bethune-Cookman and Southern Miss occurred in 1999, when Southern Miss won 8-0.
“Abigail Morgan picked up her first save of her Southern Miss career.”
For updates on Southern Miss Softball, fans can follow the team on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram.
