San Marcos, Texas — Southern Miss softball defeated Texas State 2-1 Sunday afternoon at Bobcat Softball Stadium, fueled by Abbi Troquille’s go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, according to the university.
Troquille’s second home run of the season came after Hannah Christian’s leadoff homer in Saturday’s game. The senior third baseman’s blast gave the Golden Eagles their final margin of victory in a tight contest.
Kayla Giardina earned the win, improving to 15-7. She pitched five innings, allowing four hits and one run, and struck out three batters to open the game. Giardina kept Texas State off the board through the first four innings and retired the side in the fifth and sixth before giving way to Madilyn Graham in the seventh.
Graham recorded her first save of the season, closing out the game with two scoreless innings. She faced three batters in the seventh, securing the win for Southern Miss, which improved to 30-19 overall and 11-7 in the Sun Belt Conference.
Offensively, Chloe Miller sparked the top of the second with a two-out single, and Troquille followed with her home run on the first pitch. Miller finished with two hits, her third multi-hit game of the season. In the fourth, Miller added another single, contributing to her season total of three multi-hit games.
Texas State cut the lead to one in the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run from Sami Hood. Giardina responded by inducing two flyouts to center, maintaining the lead. The Bobcats threatened in the sixth, but Graham and the defense kept them at bay, setting up Troquille’s winning hit.
Southern Miss will next travel to Oxford, Mississippi, to face Ole Miss on April 21. The team continues to push toward the postseason with their 30th win of the season, according to the university.
