HATTIESBURG, Miss. – With one out in the fifth inning,
Leah Gore shot a double into the right-center field gap, marking App State's 68th two-bagger of the season. This double set the new program record for doubles in a single season, passing the previous record of 67 that was set a season ago. Despite seeing the record fall, the App State softball team surrendered six runs in the first two innings and couldn't break out of the hole despite a hearty comeback effort and fell 7-4 in the middle game of its series with Southern Miss.
For the second consecutive game, the Mountaineers (20-25, 10-10 SBC) outhit the Golden Eagles (23-24, 10-9 SBC) 12-11, but the timely hit with runners on base once again eluded App State. The Mountaineers left nine runners on base in Game 2, despite batting .500 with runners in scoring position. App State loaded the bases in two consecutive plate appearances with one out in the sixth inning, and after an RBI hit by
Macy Hamby made it a three-run game, a crucial double play turned by the Golden Eagles stomped any momentum App State generated.
The Mountaineers saw four players record a multi-hit game on Saturday in
Makayla McClain,
Grace Barrett,
Madison McIntyre and Gore. All but two players who took an at-bat in the game tallied a hit, while Gore racked up three hits, which marked her third three-hit game of the season. Additionally, both McIntyre and Gore extended their streak of consecutive games reaching base safely to 15, marking the longest reached-base streak by a Mountaineer this season.
Helping calm the tide after the Golden Eagles recorded six early runs,
Bel Varadi pitched one of the better outings of her young career as she allowed just one run on four hits in 4.1 innings of relief. Varadi, who made her first appearance in the circle in exactly three weeks, struck out three batters and walked none in her outing, which helped keep App State's comeback hopes alive. The freshman's 4.1 innings out of the bullpen marked a career high for innings pitched in a game.
How it Happened
The Mountaineers went quietly in the top of the first inning despite seeing their first of 12 hits fall into center field with two outs. Southern Miss immediately scored a run on a leadoff home run to take the lead after a batter. The Golden Eagles' second hitter also reached on a single before a throwing error put two runners in scoring position with nobody out for the cleanup hitter. Southern Miss scored twice more on a groundout and a bunt hit, making it 3-0 after an inning.
McIntyre led off the second inning by shooting a single into center field, but the Golden Eagles kept her at first base to keep their lead. Southern Miss plated three more runs on four hits in the bottom of the second, extending its lead to six. The Mountaineers turned to Varadi in the circle, who retired the side, but App State fell into an early hole after two frames.
App State got on the board in the top of the third, trimming its lead down to four thanks to hits by McClain, Gore, Barrett and McIntyre. After the first batter went down, McClain punched a single into center, her 50th hit of the season. A nice running play in left field to rob Hamby of a hit marked the second out, but a single by Gore put two runners on, and Barrett brought them home with a single of her own to make it a four-run game. McIntyre recorded the fourth hit of the inning, but Southern Miss left her stranded, keeping the score 6-2.
In her first full inning of work, Varadi sat down Southern Miss in order, but the Mountaineers couldn't keep the momentum in the fourth inning and went down quietly. Varadi sat down the first two hitters she saw in the bottom half and worked around a two-out single to post another zero, which sent action to the fifth frame.
Gore's one-out double set the program record for doubles in a season with 68 in the fifth inning, but App State couldn't plate her. The Golden Eagles added their seventh and final score in the bottom of the inning, which put them up five as play moved to the sixth inning.
Trailing by five runs, App State immediately generated a scoring chance in the sixth inning, as
Marti Henkel walked and
Grace Taylor doubled down the line, putting two in scoring position for
Julia Girk. Girk sent a flyball into right field that helped score Henkel, making the score 7-3, and then
Summer Simpson laid down a perfect bunt for a hit to put runners on the corners with one out for McClain.
McClain promptly loaded the bases after sending her second hit of the game up the middle. Still with one out, Southern Miss made a pitching change in front of Hamby, who greeted the new hurler by firing a single into center field, which scored Taylor to make the score 7-4. With the heart of the order up, the Southern Miss defense turned a crucial double play at third base to end the threat. A diving play down the line turned into two force outs, ending what was a hard-fought rally generated by the Mountaineers.
The defense kept the deficit to three in the bottom of the sixth, but despite seeing a single by Barrett filter through the left side, App State couldn't complete its comeback and fell 7-4 in Game 2.
Saturday Notes
Home runs
App: N/A
USM: Christian 2 (3)
WP: Jana Lee (9-10): 5.1 IP, 10 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
SV: N/A
LP:
Ava Beamesderfer (4-5): 1.2 IP, 7 hits, 6 runs (4 earned runs), 0 walks, 1 strikeout
Up Next
App State will look to salvage the series against Southern Miss in the finale on Sunday. First pitch from the Southern Miss Softball Complex is scheduled for noon ET (11 a.m. CT). The finale can be streamed on ESPN+.
