AUBURN, Ala. - The Campbell softball offense (5-2) exploded for 11
runs and held on to defeat Southern Miss (3-3) in an 11-10 game on
Friday morning in the team's first game of the Tiger Invitational
from Jane B. Moore Field. The Camels walked 10 times in the game
and had eight players record at least an RBI.
Sophomore Sarah
Ling led the offensive charge for Campbell with two hits and
four RBIs. Junior Taylor
McGee tied a Campbell record with three walks and also drove in
a pair of runs. Fellow senior Lauren
Stephan drove in and scored a pair of runs.
Junior Christina
Melton (1-0) earned the win for Campbell with 1.1 innings of
relief. Senior Katie
Woodcock earned her third save of the season and the 10th of
her CU career with two innings of work. The 10 career saves tie a
Campbell career record. The loss went to Southern Miss starter
Courtney Ramos (1-2), who allowed five runs in 2.1 innings of
work.
The Camels scored two in the first inning. Sophomore Sarah Forgacs
started the rally with a bunt single. She moved to second on the
walk to Melton. An error on the Southern Miss third baseman off the
fielder's choice from senior Amanda
Miller loaded the bases. Senior Lizzie
Goldbach was then hit by pitch to force in the first run. A
fielder's choice ground out from Stephan scored Melton from third
with the team's second run of the frame.
CU added a run in the second inning as McGee launched her first
home run of the campaign to increase the margin to 3-0. The home
run was the 20th of McGee's career and allowed her to move into a
tie for fifth place at Campbell with Martha Covington (1996-99) and
Holly Harris (2002-06).
The Camels added a pair of runs to the lead in the third inning.
Goldbach started the rally with a single up the middle. A walk to
Stephan moved her to second. Senior Katie
Hinton was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. An illegal
pitch brought Goldbach home from third and moved the other two
runners up a base. McGee then walked to load the bases again. Ling
then ripped a single to left to score Stephan and gave Campbell a
pair of runs in the frame
Southern Miss drew a run closer as Leslie LeJune, who started the
inning with a single through the right side, came in to score on
Christina Roosemalen's RBI fielder's choice.
CU added two more in the fourth inning. Miller led off with a
double and came in to score on Stephan's two-out double. Hinton,
McGee and Ling then walked. The walk to Ling drove in pinch runner
Katie
Andrews from third with Campbell's seventh run of the game.
The Golden Eagles exploded for five runs in their half of the
fourth to draw to within a run at 7-6. The big hit of the frame was
the two-out two-run pinch hit single from Danielle LaPointe.
The Camels added four runs to the lead in the fifth inning. Miller
started things with a two-out walk. Goldbach then reached on an
infield single to the shortstop. A walk to Stephan loaded the
bases. Hinton then followed with an infield single to score Miller.
A walk to McGee brought in Goldbach. Ling then pushed a single
through the middle to score Stephan and McGee with Campbell's 10th
and 11th runs of the game.
Southern Miss made it an 11-8 game quickly on Jill Mathis' two-run
home run to left field in the sixth inning.
Mathis made it exciting and brought the Golden Eagles to within a
run in the bottom of the seventh with her second two-run home run
of the game, but Woodcock held on for her third save of the
season.
The Camels continue play in the tournament and takes on the host
institution, Auburn, at 4 p.m. this afternoon.
