HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss ended the Black and Gold Invitational with a record of 2-1 having faced two opponents over the weekend. Southern Miss competed against Murray State once winning, 3-0, and split games with North Dakota. The Golden Eagles were victorious in game one against the Fighting Hawks on Saturday, 3-0 but then fell to the Fighting Hawks, 4-2 on Sunday in an extra innings (9 innings) contest.

In the final game of the Black and Gold Invitational pitching and defense dominated throughout contest. After striking out the side in the second inning, pitcher Karsen Pierce gave up one run to North Dakota in the third. It wasn’t until the bottom of the seventh when Destini Brown hit a line drive triple that another run crossed the plate for either team. The triple combined with a passed ball allowed the Golden Eagles to tie the game up 1-1 in the seventh inning.

In extra inning the bats began to heat up for both the Fighting Hawks and the Golden Eagles. Due to softball’s International Tie Breaker rule a runner was placed on second base for both teams at the start of the eighth inning. North Dakota took advantage of the pinch runner by hitting a double and taking the lead, 2-1. Junior Terrica Williamsled the charge offensively for the Golden Eagles tying the game at 2-2 on a ball laced to right center field in the bottom of the eighth. The game was concluded with North Dakota hitting a two RBI single in the top of the ninth extending a 4-2 lead. Southern Miss failed to plate any runs in the bottom half of the frame.

Despite the extra inning loss freshman pitcher Karsen Pierce put up impressive numbers both in the circle and at the plate in her Southern Miss debut. The right-hander tossed a complete game and allowed seven hits, four runs (three earned), issued five walks and amassed 16 strikeouts. The Daphne, Alabama native also went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, a single, and a walk.

Head Coach Brian Levin and Golden Eagles will return to action when they travel to Thibodaux, Louisiana to battle Nicholls in a double header on Friday, February 19. Game one of the doubleheader is set to begin at 4:00 p.m. (CT) and game two is slated for a 6:00 p.m. (CT) start. The games will be played at the Colonel Softball Complex on the Nicholls campus.