Southern Miss Softball Sweeps Louisiana to Win Series

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Southern Miss softball (20-11, 2-1 Sun Belt) defeated Louisiana (17-12, 1-2 Sun Belt) 9-1 on Sunday afternoon to earn its first series victory over the Ragin’ Cajuns. The Golden Eagles scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to clinch the win at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.

Southern Miss reached 20 wins in 31 games, the fourth-fastest in program history. The win marked the third-earliest 20-win season. Only teams in 1999, 2000, and 2001 reached 20 wins faster, with 20-4, 20-7, and 20-10 records, respectively.

Kayla Giardina pitched five innings, earning her seventh complete game of the season and improving to 10-3. She allowed only one run on a solo home run by Haley Hart. Giardina’s performance was her first double-digit win season since Morgan Leinstock’s 13 wins in 2023.

Southern Miss took an early lead, with Madison Johnson doubling in the second to score Kinsley Gordon-Sivley and tie the game at 1-1. The Golden Eagles then scored four runs in the fifth, fueled by RBI singles from McManus and Glasgow, and a walk-off single from Hannah Christian.

The victory marked Southern Miss’s first series win over Louisiana in program history and snapped a long-standing losing streak. The Golden Eagles now hold a 7-55 all-time record against the Cajuns, including a 3-20 mark in Hattiesburg and 2-11 at home. This was also their first Sun Belt series win over UL since joining the conference.

Southern Miss begins a four-game road trip Wednesday at UNC Greensboro before facing App State in Boone, North Carolina, on Friday.

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