HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Junior Claire Sisco had three hits and drove in two runs but it was not near enough as Southern Miss handed the Nicholls State University softball team a 10-4 loss on Wednesday night at the USM Softball Complex.

Reagan Heflin also had a multi-hit effort as Nicholls (10-17) equaled Southern Miss (14-15) in hits with eight, but a pair of two-run homers in the third by the Golden Eagles proved to be too much to overcome.

Sierra Ouelette gave up the first long ball which put USM ahead 5-2. She was tagged with the loss after giving up three earned runs on five hits and walked three in 2.0 innings. Molly VandenBout took over in the circle and USM hit another two-run shot for a 7-2 advantage.

Nicholls got two of the runs back in the fourth when Sisco ripped a single for an RBI. She then got held up in a rundown just long enough for Laylin Sturm to score from third.

But Nicholls would not score again the rest of the game. Trailing 8-4 in the sixth, the Colonels threatened when Riley Rutherford and Heflin led off with singles, but a pair of strikeouts kept the cushion at four. USM then added two runs in the bottom half to make the final.

Sisco started the game off with a double and scored on an Erin Krause sacrifice fly. Then in the second, she found space through the right side for an RBI single. But USM answered in each frame, scoring one in the first and two in the second before its big third inning.

Jana Lee tossed 5.0 innings for the win and had one of the two Golden Eagle homers. 

ON DECK
Nicholls will head to Lake Charles for a three-game series, starting Friday with the opener set for 6 p.m.