Trojans Storm Back for Victory Against Southern Miss

Sunday, February 27

Hattiesburg, MS

5:30 p.m.

Troy University

University of Southern Mississippi

Trojans Storm Back for Victory Against Southern Miss

2/27/2011 9:50:31 PM | Softball

Trailing 6-0, the Trojans scored 12 runs over last five innings to win

By: Travis Jarome

Box Score

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Troy University softball team found itself trailing after the first two innings, however, they stormed back from a six-run deficit to defeat Southern Miss 15-9 in the final game of the Southern Miss Invitational Sunday night.

Southern Miss (8-6) scored six runs in the first inning, and continued to lead 8-3 after the first two innings. However, Troy (11-3) scored 12 runs over the last five innings to record their fifth consecutive victory.

Although they scored 15 total runs and registered 16 hits, it was the arm of senior Ashlyn Williams (Hattiesburg, Mississippi/Oak Grove HS) came out of the bullpen in her hometown just 13 days after surgery and pitched five innings and kept Southern Miss at bay for the final 15 outs of the contest. Williams (2-1) allowed just one run off of two hits and struck out 10 batters in the process.

Offensively, the Trojans found their stroke in the second when they scored three runs, but really hit their stride in the third when they put seven runs on the board against the home team. In the second inning, the Trojans started the inning with a single by Hayden Gann (Hoover, Ala./Hoover HS), and she advanced to second on a single by junior Sarah Shields (Schereville, Ind./Lake Central HS) and later scored on a single by Taylor Smartt (Troy, Ala./Charles Henderson HS) and an error on the Southern Miss outfield. After Shields scored on the Southern Miss error, Randi Ashworth (Crosby, Texas/Tallahassee CC) singled home Smartt to trim the lead to 6-2.

Southern Miss scored two more runs in the bottom of the second to push the lead to 8-2, before Troy erupted in the third to take the lead. The inning started when junior Nikki Hollett (Melbourne, Australia/Wesley College) singled through the left side and advanced to second on an error. After Hollett was out on a fielder's choice for the second out of the inning, Smartt delivered a single up the middle to move Shields over to second. After a walk to Ashworth, Kacie McAllister (Dothan, Ala./Dothan HS) was hit by a pitch to drive in a run and trim the deficit to 8-3. That was followed by a Kortney Cooper (Dothan, Ala./Northview HS) infield single that scored Smartt and trimmed the deficit to four runs.

After a Southern Miss pitching change, junior Michelle Hewett (Alford, Fla./Chipola JC) walked to bring in a run and trim the deficit to three; before Kelly Luquette (St. Amant, La./St. Amant HS) drew yet another bases loaded walk that trimmed the deficit to 8-6. Just two pitches into her at-bat, Hollett tripled to left, clearing the bases and giving the Trojans a 9-8 lead.

The Trojans added a pair of runs in the fifth that proved to be the winning margin when Hewett and Luquette each reached to open the inning. After the pair recorded a double steal, they were driven in when Gann doubled to right field to give Troy an 11-9 lead. Troy added a pair of runs in the sixth and another in the seventh for the final deficit.

Seven different Trojans collected a pair of hits in the contest, with each of the nine starters in the lineup getting a base hit.

Troy is off for the remainder of the week, traveling to the West Coast where they will face UNLV on Friday at 6 pm, followed by San Diego at 8:15 pm. The games are part of the Ellar Media Classic held on the UNLV campus in Las Vegas over the weekend.

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