HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Bailee Baldwin hit a home run for the fourth straight game, but it was not enough for the UTSA softball team in a 4-2 setback at Southern Miss on Saturday at the USM Softball Complex.
Baldwin extended her season-long hitting streak to six games with her ninth long ball of the season in the fourth inning to help the Roadrunners (17-26) cut into a 3-1 deficit. However, the Golden Eagles (24-22) added an insurance run in the fifth and held on for the win, moving the two teams into a tie in the Conference USA standings at 7-11.
UTSA got on the board in the top of the first. Lindsey Stewart led off with a bunt single to third base, moved to second on an infield base hit by Rylee Rodriguez and then scored on an error by the shortstop off the bat of Baldwin.
Southern Miss scratched for three runs in the bottom of the second. Samantha Papp and Arielle Pollock both singled and scored on a double to right-center field by Heather Hill. Samantha Reynolds later lined a base hit to left center to plate Hill and give the home side a 3-1 lead.
Baldwin's solo blast down the right-field line in the top of the fourth pulled UTSA to within 3-2, but an infield single by Pollock pushed across another run in the fifth to put the Golden Eagles back up by two.
Samantha Robles (7-7) earned the win, striking out two and allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits in a complete game.
The Roadrunners will step out of league play and face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (7-27) sat 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18, in Corpus Christi.
