The Lady Lions softball team defeated the University of Southern Mississippi 1-0 in a nail-biter at home on Wednesday night. 

Southeastern went into the matchup riding a four-game losing streak from their previous weekend tournament. 

Cameron Beal, a senior infielder, discussed the overall tone of the night. 

“The atmosphere last night was one of the best I’ve ever played in. I felt like the entire team was in the game all seven innings. We really played the 6th and 7th innings with urgency and finished strong,” Beal said. 

Beal led the victory over Southern Miss with a  game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning. 

Ella Manzer, a senior catcher, shared how the team had prepared for the game. 

Manzer said, “We knew going into the week their top pitchers threw drop balls so we set pitching machines up on the field and set them on drop balls, one as a strike and one as a ball to see the drop as a ball and spit on it and the one for a strike to get cuts dropping our bat head and getting under the ball.”

Manzer reflected how her final season as a Lady Lion is going so far. 

“I love getting to play with these girls. I want to give them my best every day at practice and during the games. The relationships I’ve gained from this sport is astounding and I’m grateful every day I get to play this game with the best girls. Also, it’s my senior year and I want this team to do things that have never been done here at Southeastern like winning a regular season, winning the conference tournament, and going to a regional,” Mazer said. 

Beal said she hopes to see further improvements as the Lady Lions continue to compete in the next few months. 

Beal said, “One thing I’m hoping to improve on as we move into conference is being timely. We have a very well-rounded team, and if we are able to capitalize in a timely manner, I believe we will be very tough to beat.” 

The 9-10 Lady Lions will play their next game on March 12 at North Oak Park at 4 p.m. against Lamar University.