Lamar Takes Down Southeastern Louisiana 3-1 in Opening Round
Southland Conference
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FRISCO, Texas – Fifth-seeded Lamar earned a 3-1 win over fourth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana Wednesday afternoon in the Southland Conference Softball Tournament first round at the Lady Demon Diamond in Natchitoches, La. The win was the Lady Cardinals first in Southland tournament play since the program was re-established in 2013 and first for the program since 1986.
Lamar (25-26, 14-10 Southland) recorded its program-record 25th win behind a fourth-inning RBI from pinch-hitter Taylor Duck and two unearned runs in the sixth and seventh. Catcher Brynn Baca scored for the Lady Cardinals on a RBI single to third. An error from Southeastern Louisiana’s second baseman Vanessa Eng brought in Lamar first baseman Marissa LeJune in the sixth. Another error by the Lady Lions’ center fielder Katie Lacour enabled the Lady Cardinals’ shortstop Stephanie Meeuwsen to score in the seventh.
Southeastern Louisiana scored its lone run in the first inning as shortstop Sydney Booker singled to center field for an RBI, bringing home Katie Lacour.
The Lady Cardinals’ freshman starting pitcher Laura Napoli and Southeastern’s junior starting pitcher Taylor Bishop each tossed complete games. Lamar’s Napoli recorded her 18th win on the season, setting the school record for victories in a single season. With the loss, the Lady Lions’ Bishop fell to 14-8 on the year.
No. 5 Lamar will now play tournament host and top-seed Northwestern State (33-16, 22-3 Southland) in the nightcap this evening in Natchitoches. During the regular season, the Lady Demons took the conference series from the Lady Cardinals two games to one in Beaumont.
Fourth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana (21-29, 15-10 Southland) will now play at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow afternoon in the second game of back draw. The Lady Lions’ opponent will be the loser of this evening’s game between No. 2 seed McNeese State and No. 3 Central Arkansas, who are currently playing at the Lady Demon Diamond.
The Southland title game is slated for a 2 p.m. start Friday with a possibility of second game for the tournament championship. The 11th game would be played in the event an undefeated team lost in the title game forcing a second game for the tournament championship, upholding the double elimination format. Game 11 start time is to be determined.
For more information on the tournament, including a link to
live stats, please visit
Southland.org. For updates and the most current information throughout the tournament please follow the Southland Conference on twitter at SouthlandSports and use the hashtag “SLCSoftball”.
The first nine games of the 2015 Southland Softball Tournament are being streamed live for free on the Southland Conference Digital Network, including
Southland.org/watch and the league’s mobile and tablet apps. The championship round will be an exclusive presentation of ESPN3, available via
WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app. Chris Mycoskie, Assistant Commissioner of Television and Electronic Media for the Southland Conference, will handle play-by play for all games. Three-time Southland softball coach of the year and National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame member Yvette Girouard will join him for the championship as the color analyst.
Quotes
Lamar Head Coach Holly Bruder
On pitcher Laura Napoli
“That was a heck of a game from Laura. She knew she didn’t pitch her best against them in the regular season. She wanted to show them what she could do and make her mark. She’s stepping up and becoming a leader.”
On game win
“Getting that first win in a tournament is huge, but we can’t be satisfied with just that one win. We’ll enjoy this for about 30 minutes and get focused for Northwestern State. The bottom of our order stepped up big. Our underclassmen did a great job. Now, we need more from our seniors if we want to keep playing in this tournament.”
Lamar Pitcher Laura Napoli
On win and play
“I was hitting my corners and keeping my pitches low. I owe a lot of credit to the defense. They were phenomenal. It gives you a lot of confidence when you know they are going to make the plays behind you. It feels good to get that first win, but we know we still have plenty of work to do.”
Southeastern Louisiana Head Coach Pete Langlois
On what was the difference in the game
“To win in the postseason, you can't make three errors. We had opportunities to bust it open early and we couldn't hit them in. We have won games this year with timely hitting and good fielding. We didn't have either today and that was the difference."