THIBODAUX, La. — Southern Miss softball (8-8) defeated Nicholls (9-4) 7-3 Wednesday evening at Swanner Field at Geo Surfaces Park, according to the university’s athletics department.
Kayce Bennett led the Golden Eagles with three RBIs, while three other players each contributed one RBI. Kayla Giardina earned the win, moving to 4-2 on the season with her third complete game.
Southern Miss struck first, with Jolie Hays singling to left center to score Carrie Green from second with two outs in the top of the first inning. Nicholls responded in the bottom half with a two-run homer from Erin Krause, giving the Colonels a 2-1 lead after one inning.
The Golden Eagles surged in the second inning, scoring four runs. Abbi Troquille drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in a run, and Bennett cleared the bases with a two-out double, giving Southern Miss a 5-2 lead. Nicholls added a solo homer from Madison Moak in the bottom of the inning, narrowing the lead to 5-3.
After the high-scoring start, both teams’ offenses cooled. Giardina held Nicholls to two hits over the next three innings, while allowing Southern Miss to extend its lead. Hannah Christian drove in a run in the seventh inning on a single, and Kinsley Gordon-Sivley scored from second on a fielding error to seal the victory. Giardina finished the game after Gordon-Sivley’s run, preserving the 7-3 win.
Notable players included Kayla Giardina, who improved her record to 4-2 with three complete games, and Kayce Bennett, who is tied for third in the Sun Belt Conference with nine RBIs. The win marks Southern Miss’s first midweek victory of the season, and the team now holds a 4-6 record in away games against Nicholls and an overall 15-13 record.
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