UAB Falls to Southern Miss in Series Topper

Sunday, April 14

Birmingham, Ala. / Mary Bowers Field

1 P.M.

UAB

15-26, 11-7

Southern Miss

26-16, 5-12

Southern Miss

UAB

UAB Falls to Southern Miss in Series Topper

4/14/2019 4:45:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM – The UAB softball team (15-26, 5-12 C-USA) dropped its final game of the series against Southern Miss, taking a 4-0 loss at Mary Bowers field on Sunday. The Golden Eagles built their narrow lead in increments throughout the game and rode junior pitcher Abby Trahan, who leads the conference with a 1.53 ERA, to the eventual shutout.

UAB was led by a trio of sophomores throughout the game. Catcher Sarah Crawford registered the best line at the plate for the Blazers, going 2-for-3 on the day. Emily Kachel chalked the start in the circle for the Blazers, going three innings while giving up four runs on five hits with three strikeouts. Bailie Barnes then relieved Kachel at the start of the fourth, going a solid four innings to finish the game while only giving up one hit and no runs.

"Any time you get swept, it's frustrating. We didn't show much fight throughout the weekend. When that happens, you aren't going to get the results that you want, especially against a quality club like Southern Miss," said coach Jimmy Kolaitis. "On a positive note, we had some really good moments in the circle as we held Southern Miss to two runs in the first game. Bailie (Barnes) also pitched really well out of the pen in game three. We have a tough game on Tuesday against a good Mississippi State team. We will continue to grind and prepare for next week."

Southern Miss got going early, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. After a walk and a sacrifice bunt pushed the runner into scoring position, a Golden Eagle double drove the run home before Kachel's first strikeout of the day and a diving grab by sophomore outfielder Jenna Olszewski at the track in foul territory ended the first half of the inning. In the bottom of the frame, freshman outfielder Faith Hegh got UAB started with a one-out double. Olszewski next reached on a walk to put two on, but the Blazers were unable to score a run.

In the top of the second, Southern Miss added another pair. The Golden Eagles loaded the bases on a double, a single and a walk, then scored both runs on an error in the infield. UAB responded in the bottom of the second with back-to-back singles from junior outfielder Destini England and Crawford to lead off the inning, but again, no runs were driven in.

Southern Miss continued to build on its lead in the top of the third, adding another score after a pair of singles and ground outs allowed a runner to advance home. UAB had no answer to follow, going into the fourth inning down 4-0.

As Barnes replaced Kachel to start the inning, UAB held Southern Miss hitless in the fourth and fifth innings. The Blazers added a single from Crawford in the fourth and another from junior infielder Ashton Clem in the fifth, but didn't manage anything else.

The UAB defense held strong in the sixth and seventh, only allowing one hit in the sixth and ending the inning on a line out double play by junior infielder Dylinn Stancil before retiring the side in order in the seventh. The Blazers would come up empty in the final two frames as well though, allowing Southern Miss to finish on top, 4-0.

The Blazers will next host Mississippi State for their inaugural teal game on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Mary Bowers Field. The teal game represents awareness for ovarian cancer. Former Mississippi State outfielder Alex Wilcox's battle with the disease and efforts from the GeauxTeal Foundation have sparked a movement across the nation in the softball community to continue to fight and raise awareness. Teal wristbands will be given out at the game, and more information can be found at www.geauxteal.com.

General admission tickets for home games are on sale for $5 for adults and $3 for youth and chairback seats are available for $10 for adults and $6 for youth. Tickets can be purchased at the gate, online at uabsports.com or by calling the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.

Fans can receive access to every softball and baseball game for the entire 2018-19 season by purchasing a Gold Card. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.

For more information on the UAB softball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter and Instagram (@UAB_SB).