Troy University Athletics
Friday, March 27
Troy, Ala.
6 p.m.
Troy University
21-11, 3-4
2
vs
4
Southern Miss
24-13, 5-2
1st innning1
2nd innning2
3rd innning3
4th innning4
5th innning5
6th innning6
7th innning7
RunsR
HitsH
ErrorsE
Southern Miss
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
4
6
0
Troy
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
2
10
1
Troy Drops Series Opener to Southern Miss
3/27/2026 8:43:00 PM | Softball
TROY, Ala. – The Troy softball team fell 4-2 to Southern Miss in Friday night's series opener. The Golden Eagles (24-13, 5-2 SBC) downed the Trojans (21-11, 3-4 SBC) with a seventh-inning, two-run homer to take the lead.
Despite the loss, Troy out-hit Southern Miss 10-6, and three Trojans recorded multi-hit games. Lydia Kirby smoked a two-RBI double to right field to put Troy on top in the fourth inning, earning her first Division I multi-RBI game.
Also having strong days at the plate were Kiley Huffman, Mia Tidmore and Megan Loftis. Huffman went 3-for-4, while Tidmore and Loftis each went 2-for-2. Despite the loss, Abby Lovell (5-4) worked her fourth consecutive complete game in her fourth Sun Belt Conference start.
McKinnon Howard led off the game with an infield single, but the Trojans couldn't score despite solid swings from Makaley Boswell and Huffman in the first. A diving snag helped Lovell work around a walk in the second after she worked a one-two-three first.
Lovell struck out her second batter of the game in the third inning. Presley Ivey looped a leadoff single into right field in the bottom half, but the game stayed knotted at 0-0. In the fourth, Lovell punched out another batter in a one-two-three inning.
The Troy offense struck in the fourth inning – Huffman drove a leadoff single up the middle, Tidmore walked and Loftis dropped a bunt single. Making her third start of the season, Kirby laced a two-RBI double to right field to give the Trojans the lead.
The Golden Eagles broke up Lovell's no-hitter in the fifth inning, hitting a single and a double to put pressure on with just one out. However, Ivey made back-to-back plays at second to get the Trojans out of the inning.
Southern Miss tied the game up in the sixth, scoring on a double to right-center field and a single to the same spot. The Troy offense got going quickly in the bottom half, with Tidmore and Loftis hitting back-to-back singles to start the inning.
Three quick outs for Southern Miss ended the inning and sent the game to the seventh. The Golden Eagles continued momentum, hitting a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh to take the lead.
Huffman got her third hit of the game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but the Trojans couldn't extend the game further.
Quotable: Head Coach Eric Newell
"It was a tough night, but in a weird way I like the way we fought. Southern Miss was able to get the key two-out hits, and we weren't. Sometimes in a bat-and-ball sport, that's going to happen. I hurt for our team, and I know we wanted that one. To lose a game we kind of had in hand hurts and I know the girls aren't happy about it, but that's the nature of the sport sometimes."
Notables
Despite the loss, Troy out-hit Southern Miss 10-6, and three Trojans recorded multi-hit games. Lydia Kirby smoked a two-RBI double to right field to put Troy on top in the fourth inning, earning her first Division I multi-RBI game.
Also having strong days at the plate were Kiley Huffman, Mia Tidmore and Megan Loftis. Huffman went 3-for-4, while Tidmore and Loftis each went 2-for-2. Despite the loss, Abby Lovell (5-4) worked her fourth consecutive complete game in her fourth Sun Belt Conference start.
McKinnon Howard led off the game with an infield single, but the Trojans couldn't score despite solid swings from Makaley Boswell and Huffman in the first. A diving snag helped Lovell work around a walk in the second after she worked a one-two-three first.
Lovell struck out her second batter of the game in the third inning. Presley Ivey looped a leadoff single into right field in the bottom half, but the game stayed knotted at 0-0. In the fourth, Lovell punched out another batter in a one-two-three inning.
The Troy offense struck in the fourth inning – Huffman drove a leadoff single up the middle, Tidmore walked and Loftis dropped a bunt single. Making her third start of the season, Kirby laced a two-RBI double to right field to give the Trojans the lead.
The Golden Eagles broke up Lovell's no-hitter in the fifth inning, hitting a single and a double to put pressure on with just one out. However, Ivey made back-to-back plays at second to get the Trojans out of the inning.
Southern Miss tied the game up in the sixth, scoring on a double to right-center field and a single to the same spot. The Troy offense got going quickly in the bottom half, with Tidmore and Loftis hitting back-to-back singles to start the inning.
Three quick outs for Southern Miss ended the inning and sent the game to the seventh. The Golden Eagles continued momentum, hitting a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh to take the lead.
Huffman got her third hit of the game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but the Trojans couldn't extend the game further.
Quotable: Head Coach Eric Newell
"It was a tough night, but in a weird way I like the way we fought. Southern Miss was able to get the key two-out hits, and we weren't. Sometimes in a bat-and-ball sport, that's going to happen. I hurt for our team, and I know we wanted that one. To lose a game we kind of had in hand hurts and I know the girls aren't happy about it, but that's the nature of the sport sometimes."
Notables
- Troy is 20-9 all-time against Southern Miss
- Abby Lovell worked her fourth consecutive complete game in conference play – she's the first Trojan since Leanna Johnson in 2023 to do so
- Lydia Kirby logged her first Division I multi-RBI game
- Kiley Huffman recorded her ninth multi-hit game of the season
- Mia Tidmore logged her fifth multi-hit game of the season
- Megan Loftis recorded her second multi-hit game of the year
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Giardina, Kayla (11-4)
L: Lovell, Abby (5-4)
Batting:
2B: Hays, Jolie 1 ; Johnson, Madison 1
HR: Christian, Hannah 1
RBI: Christian, Hannah 2 ; Hays, Jolie 1
SH: Troquille, Abbi 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McManus, Nealy 1 ; Christian, Hannah 2 ; Hays, Jolie 1
HBP: Glasgow, Julia 1
Batting:
2B: Kirby, Lydia 1
RBI: Kirby, Lydia 2
SH: Loftis, Megan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Tidmore, Mia 1 ; Huffman, Kiley 1
CS: Tidmore, Mia 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
UTL
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
UTL
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballINF
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Eric Newell Postgame Press Conference (USM Game 1)
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Troy vs. Southern Miss Game 1 (Full Highlights)
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Adam Austin - March 26
Thursday, March 26