Softball: March 13 Scoreboard
Southland Conference
Nicholls 5, Sam Houston State 2
McNeese State 6, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 1
Northwestern State 14, Houston Baptist 1 (5)
Nicholls 5, Sam Houston State 2
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Junior Hannah Haydel had another magnificent outing in the circle and the Colonels scored three runs in fifth as the Nicholls State University softball team took game one against Sam Houston State, 5-2, on Friday night.
Nicholls (15-7, 3-1 SLC) and Sam Houston (7-16, 0-4 SLC) will wrap up the series on Saturday with a doubleheader. First pitch in scheduled for 3 p.m.
The Colonels had nine hits in the win, getting two each from Brooke Morris, Danielle Phillips and Laura Neil. In the circle, Haydel (8-3) scattered seven hits in her complete game and struck out seven. The victory was Haydel’s fourth in her last five appearances.
The Bearkats scored in the first, taking advantage of leadoff walk issued by Haydel. Sarah Allison gave Sam Houston the early lead with a RBI single to center.
In the top of the second, Neil homered for the second time this season to even the score at 1-1. But Sam Houston returned the favor in the third with a solo shot by Tiffany Castillo.
Trailing 2-1 in the fifth, Nicholls tallied three hits and took advantage of two errors to go up 4-2. Freshman Kimmie Rodriguez started the scoring for Nicholls with her first career home run, tying the game at 2-all. Peyton Gremillion singled and scored on a two-base error and Kayla Prater capped the inning with an RBI single to center.
After Nicholls added an unearned run in the seventh, Sam Houston started their final at-bat with a pair of singles to put two on with no outs. Haydel then fanned the next two batters before loading the bases with a hit-by-pitch. But Haydel ended the game with her third swinging strikeout to extend the Colonels’ winning streak to three games.
Castillo led Sam Houston with two hits and Meme Quinn (3-4) took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits.
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McNeese State 6, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 1
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – McNeese softball extended its winning streak to six games and opened its Southland Conference series against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a 6-1 win Friday afternoon.
McNeese (18-6, 4-0 SLC) outhit Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (4-15-1, 0-4 SLC) 9-8 and both teams left six runners stranded.
Bryanna Castro led McNeese with a 3 for 4 plate appearance including her second home run of the season. Castro also scored three runs and stole one base.
Emily Vincent improved to 8-1 on the year after giving up six hits, one run, two walks and struck out five batters in 5 1/3 innings. Jamie Allred picked up her third save of the season after going 1 2/3 innings in relief.
McNeese took a 3-0 lead with two outs in the third inning off three consecutive hits. Vincent reached base on a walk before coming home on an Erika Piancastelli double to left for a 1-0 lead. Castro brought Piancastelli home on a single to left before coming home herself on a Lauren Langner triple to right center.
The Cowgirls added a run in the fifth on a Tori Yanitor RBI single to left to extend its lead to 4-0.
The Islanders scored their only run of the game in the sixth but had a chance to score more after leaving the bases loaded. Cosette Hernandez led the inning off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brittney Morse.
Junior hurler Jamie Allred came into to relieve starter Vincent with one out in the sixth. Allred gave up a single to the first batter she faced that allowed the Islander to load the bases. Allred got Lindsey Lyles to fly out to left and Hayley Galloway to fly out to third in foul territory to end the threat.
McNeese extended its lead to 6-1 in the seventh with two runs on two hits. Piancastelli walked and came home to score on a two run home run by Bryanna Castro.
The series will conclude with a doubleheader Saturday beginning at noon.
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Northwestern State 14, Houston Baptist 1 (5)
HOUSTON, Texas – Kellye Kincannon and Cassandra Barefield provided the 1-2 punch in the heart of the order, accounting for three home runs and 11 RBIs as Northwestern State softball defeated Houston Baptist 14-1 in five innings in the series opener from Husky Field.
The Lady Demons (13-12, 4-0 Southland) erupted for seven runs on six hits, highlighted by a Kincannon grand slam, in the fifth inning to deal the Huskies (6-14, 0-4 SLC) their final blow. The frame marked the third straight inning NSU had scored, including a four-run fourth.
Salmans scored a career-high four runs and matched her high with three hits in the leadoff spot to set the tone for NSU. Barefield finished with five RBIs – second only to Kincannon’s six – to match her career high.
Barefield upped the Lady Demons lead to 7-1 with a three-run long ball in the fourth inning, plating Kincannon and Salmans. One inning later, the Houston native followed Kincannon’s grand slam with her fifth home run of the season, notching NSU’s final run of the day.
The Lady Demons 1-5 hitters finished with two or more hits, including Virgoe, who moved her season-high reached base streak to 11. Elsewhere, Kincannon’s multi-RBI game was her team-high ninth in 24 starts. The 2-for-3 outing pushed her average to .403.
In the circle, righty Micaela Bouvier (6-4) notched her team-leading sixth win of the season, tossing five innings while dropping her season ERA to 3.52. The freshman allowed just three hits and two walks and struck out two hitters.
HBU right-handed starter Emily Mueller was dealt the loss, tossing three innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while walking two. Catcher Madison Vonhagel finished 2-for-2, driving in the Huskies lone run in the second inning, at the time knotting the game at one.
As a team, NSU tallied 15 hits, their second highest total of the season and matched their season high, hitting .500. The 14 runs were also the second highest of the season and marked the sixth time in 25 games NSU has scored double digits. One year ago, the Lady Demons tied the 1995 school-record of eight double-digit games in a season.
The win moved NSU to 8-1 all-time against Houston Baptist. The Southland foes conclude the series with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.
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