Riding a string of three shutouts, the Saint Louis University softball team took on Conference USA power Southern Mississippi having played arguably its best ball of the season.
However, by the end of the series, the Golden Eagles had brought the high-flying Billikens back down to Earth.
USM took all three games decisively, never trailing throughout the weekend. The three-game losing streak for SLU followed a stretch of four wins in a row that had put the team only one game below the .500 mark.
Southern Miss, the defending Conference USA champions, fielded a balanced squad that SLU was unable to handle. The Billikens now stand at 8-12 on the season with a 1-5 mark in conference play.
The series got off to an auspicious start for the Bills during the front end of the doubleheader on Saturday. Freshman starter Lorena Floccari held the Golden Eagles to just two hits in the first four innings. That brought the staff's scoreless streak to an eye-opening 25-plus innings. However, it would go no further, as USM tallied four runs in the fifth. The Billiken offense sputtered and could only muster up three hits over the course of the game in a 5-0 loss.
"The game started off pretty well for us, but we have to find a way to stop the big innning," Floccari said. She gave up four runs on eight hits in her six innings while taking the loss. She struck out five in the start.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Billikens gave up four quick runs in the first two innings. Southern Miss first baseman Ashley Davis hit a solo home run in the first and added a two-shot in the third off SLU starter Ashley Levan.
Despite junior shortstop Ashlee Heady and Sell going 2-4 at the plate, respectively, the Billikens couldn't come up with enough runs to stay on pace with their opponent's efficient attack, as USM scored two runs in four different innings. The final score was 8-4.
The third game looked promising once again for the Billikens. They held the offense of Southern Miss scoreless in the first three innings. Unfortunately, SLU's bats could not come up with the hits when runners were in scoring position.
USM exploded in the fourth with seven runs on their way to a 9-0 victory. The game played out in a similar fashion to the opener, with SLU taliying only three hits. Adrienne May saw her 12-game hitting streak end in the process.
The series served as a barometer for the team and what it must do in order to beat the elite teams.
Floccari added, "Southern Miss is the defending champ. They played well, and we now know how we stack up to the elite teams in the conference. We got beat by a good team, but we can get them next time."
A doubleheader scheduled for March 22 at the Billiken Sports Center against Drake was cancelled due to inclement weather, with no make-up date announced.
Billiken softball will resume action Friday and Saturday in three games at Charlotte. The Billikens beat the 49ers 3-2 on March 12, a victory that began the aforementioned season-long four-game win streak.
The Bills look to their upcoming trip to North Carolina for similar success.
