LEESBURG, Fla. — Southern Miss softball ended its run at The Spring Games with a 7-6 defeat to St. John’s at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex Sunday morning. The Golden Eagles finished with a 6-5 record.
Southern Miss opened strong, with Kayla Giardina starting on the mound and allowing one run and three hits in the first inning. Hannah Christian led off with a single, and Jolie Hays drove in the first run with an infield single. Julia Glasgow also recorded an RBI infield single, and Kinsley Gordon-Sivley hit a triple that brought in two more runs, giving the Golden Eagles a 4-1 lead after the first inning.
St. John’s responded in the second inning, with Natasha Limbani delivering a two-out, two-RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-3. The Red Storm then tied the game 6-6 in the third, highlighted by an RBI single from Cassidy Stouffer and a two-RBI single from Bianco.
The game remained tied through the fourth and fifth innings until St. John’s scored the go-ahead run in the sixth with a walk, single, and hit-by-pitch. In the bottom of the seventh, Abbi Troquille singled, and Madison Johnson hit a triple to put runners on third and second with two outs. Kinsley Gordon-Sivley then beat out a grounder for a game-tying single, but Serafinko struck out the final Golden Eagle to secure the victory for St. John’s.
St. John’s leads the all-time series against Southern Miss 2-0, with the teams facing for the first time on Feb. 14. The Golden Eagles remain competitive nationally in triples, ranking 17th, and in walks, second in the Sun Belt Conference.
Southern Miss pitcher Ana Serafinko earned the win, improving to 4-0, while Olivia Christian took the loss for the Golden Eagles. The teams will next compete Feb. 17 against McNeese State.
