April 9, 2008

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss travels to Oxford, Miss., to face Ole Miss in a single Thursday at 4 p.m.

Southern Miss is coming off a 2-0 loss to No. 19 Louisiana-Lafayette last Thursday. Meghan Harbuck pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on six hits. Megan Hill and Brittney Pigott recorded the Eagles' only hits.

Hill paces Southern Miss on offense, leading the team with a batting average of .318 to go with a team-best four home runs and 25 RBIs. Senior Jennifer Fox has a batting average of .315 with three home runs and 17 RBIs.

Junior catcher Kristin Pilgrim has notched a .281 batting average with two homers, seven doubles and 19 RBIs and senior shortstop Kristin Chaney is at .284 with nine runs driven in.

Five Lady Eagles have posted a 3.50 team earned run average with junior Samantha Davis (10-7) leading the way with a 2.46 ERA and a team-best 65 strikeouts. Freshman Lana Vaughn is next at 2.90, as she has a pitching mark of 4-4, while fellow freshman Hannah Griffin (2-1) is sporting an ERA of 3.75.

Ole Miss comes in with a 17-22 record, following a 2-1 win over in-state rival Mississippi State in the annual M&F Bank Fastpitch Classic in Ridgeland, Miss. Lauren Grill hit a two-home run in the top of the first for the Rebels.

Grill leads the Rebels with a batting average of .354 with team-best seven home runs and 31 RBIs. The pitching staff has a team ERA of 2.40, led by freshman Lindsey Perry with a 1.81 ERA and a 6-5 record. Sophomore Becky Nye has fanned a team-high 89 batters in 105.2 innings and owns a 2.78 ERA.

Ole Miss leads the series with Southern Miss,10-7. The Lady Eagles won the meeting between the teams earlier this season in Hattiesburg.

Following this game, the Lady Eagles hit the road for a three-game C-USA series at Memphis (4/12-13).