HATTIESBURG, Miss. — UTSA jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but Southern Miss scored a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth to rally to take Sunday’s series finale, 5-4.
Eight different players had a hit for the Roadrunners (17-6, 2-1 C-USA), including an RBI double from Madison Kinley. Kelsi Ott allowed three runs on four hits in 4.2 innings and reliever Nicole Merrill (6-3) took the loss after she surrendered a pair of runs in 1.1 frames.
Meanwhile, Katie Cleary led the Golden Eagles (13-7, 1-2 C-USA) as she went 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs, including a hit that plated the go-ahead run in the sixth. Reliever Danielle Block (3-2) picked up the victory after she gave up just one hit in three innings of work.
UTSA jumped ahead early as Kendall Burton took Jillian Johnson’s third pitch of the game to deep center field for her league-leading fourth triple of the season. The freshman would come around to score three batters later when Vivian Tijerina singled through the left side for a 1-0 lead.
Cleary knotted the score with a single up the middle that plated Arielle Pollock, but the Roadrunners pulled ahead with runs in the second, third and fifth for a 4-1 advantage.
The Roadrunners had a chance to blow the game open in the second as they loaded the bases with two outs. The visitors had to settle for one run on Megan Low’s RBI hit to left field before Tess Soefje and Kinley produced back-to-back doubles in the third for a 3-1 cushion.
Randee Crawford’s single in the fifth chased Johnson from the game and pinch-runner Lauren White came around to score on Angelica Niño’s hit up the middle that extended the lead to 4-1.
However, Southern Miss trimmed the deficit to 4-3 with two runs with two outs in the bottom of the fifth on Selena Estrada’s single down the left-field line off Merrill. The Golden Eagles then took the lead in the sixth with another key two-out hit from Cleary that scored a pair.
UTSA had one final chance to tie or take the lead in the top of the seventh, but Block retired the side in order for the 5-4 win.
The Roadrunners will be back in action on Wednesday, March 11, when they host McNeese State (16-6) in a 6 p.m. matchup at Roadrunner Field.