Softball: March 14 Scoreboard
Southland Conference
Southeastern Louisiana 5, UIW 4
Southeastern Louisiana 2, UIW 1
Northwestern State 6, Houston Baptist 4
Northwestern State 15, Houston Baptist 4 (5)
McNeese State 3, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0
McNeese State 5, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0
Lamar 13, Abilene Christian 1 (5)
Lamar 5, Abilene Christian 4
Sam Houston State 6, Nicholls 4
Nicholls 5, Sam Houston State 1
Central Arkansas 9, Stephen F. Austin 2
Southeastern Louisiana 5, UIW 4
Southeastern Louisiana 2, UIW 1
HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana senior pitcher Tori Stamper won both games, while freshmen third baseman Sydney Booker and outfielder Kinsey Nichols were clutch at the plate, as the Lady Lions earned a doubleheader sweep over Incarnate Word in Southland Conference softball action Saturday evening at North Oak Park.
The doubleheader sweep allowed SLU (9-15, 4-1 Southland) to clinch its second straight series to open league play. Incarnate Word fell to 3-19 overall and 0-5 in Southland Conference play.
In the opener, Nichols forced in the winning run when UIW sophomore pitcher Kristin Hebert (2-7) hit her with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning. In SLU’s 5-4 win, Booker tied her and Nichols’ single-game school record that they set earlier this season with two triples, driving in three runs. Junior outfielder Katie Lacour and senior second baseman Vanessa Eng each had three hits in a victory.
The nightcap saw Southeastern edge UIW, 2-1, in a pitcher’s duel between Stamper (2-2) and Cardinal senior Brooke DuBois (1-5). Nichols and Lacour both scored runs, as UIW sophomore right fielder Danielle Ramirez misplayed a ball off the bat of Booker. Stamper scattered four hits in the complete-game effort.
Southeastern head coach Pete Langlois singled out several players for praise after Saturday’s doubleheader sweep.
Southeastern will look to complete the series sweep on Sunday at 12 p.m.
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Northwestern State 6, Houston Baptist 4
Northwestern State 15, Houston Baptist 4 (5)
HOUSTON, Texas – In a return home for nine Northwestern State softball players who hail from the greater Houston area, the Lady Demons did not disappoint, taking the final two games of the series against Houston Baptist to sweep the Huskies.
NSU (15-12, 6-0 Southland) defeated the HBU (6-16, 0-6 SLC) 6-4 in Game 1 before erupting for a 15-4 win in five innings during the finale.
Gray allowed five hits and only one earned run in 3 1-3 innings pitched. Brown, who earned the win, tossed the final 3 2-3 innings, allowing two hits and one run while striking out five.
NSU jumped out to a 4-0 lead helped by a RBI triple from Micayla Sorosiak and two-run home run from Barefield, a Houston native, after the top of the third. After the Huskies battled back, scoring three runs in between the third and fourth, Kincannon helped close the door in the fifth on a two-run long ball.
The Lady Demons did not wait long to get going in Game 2, racing out to a 6-0 lead after one, highlighted by Micayla Sorosiak’s first career grand slam. One inning later, Natalie Landry launched her third home run of the season, this one a two-run shot to go up 10-0.
Brittany Virgoe added NSU’s third long ball of the day, a three-run shot, providing the final blow to the Huskies. However, it was the third baseman’s first inning hit by pitch that put the senior into the record book.
The plunk was Virgoe’s 31st of her career, passing Shante Jones’s NSU record of 30 set between 1996-1999.
Additionally, Sidney Salmans went 2-for-4 in the leadoff spot adding an RBI and scoring two runs. Jones, along with Sorosiak led NSU with four RBIs a piece as the sophomore tandem continued their hot seasons.
In the circle, Micaela Bouvier earned her team-leading seventh win of the season, tossing three innings and allowing just three hits. Skylar Cagle allowed three runs on two hits in relief before Shelby Sells pitched the final two innings, allowing just one hit and one unearned HBU run.
NSU returns home on Wednesday for a midweek matchup against Louisiana Tech. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Lady Demon Diamond.
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McNeese State 3, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0
McNeese State 5, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – McNeese softball completed its Southland Conference series with two shutouts (3-0, 5-0) against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to complete the series sweep.
With the wins, McNeese improves to 20-6 on the year and 6-0 in the Southland Conference. McNeese opened the series with a 6-1 win on Friday.
The Cowgirls’ pitching staff was solid in the circle Saturday as junior Jamie Allred picked up her first shutout win of the season in the opening game to improve to 4-3 on the season. Sophomore Rachel Smith followed that with her second shutout of the season to improve to 7-2 on the year.
The Cowgirls combined for 16 hits on the day with freshman Erika Piancastelli collecting four including her team leading eighth home run of the season in the second game. Junior Lauren Langner ended the day with three hits and one stolen base.
In the opening game of the doubleheader, McNeese jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the second inning off RBI’s by Taylor Goree and Dakota Matiko.
Lauren Langner led the inning off with a single to third before moving to second on a walk by Morgan Catron. Langner and Catron advanced a base on a double steal before Matiko’s ground out to second scored Langner. Goree’s two out single to right field brought Catron home.
Four innings later, a RBI fielder’s choice by Taylor Schmidt scored pinch runner Tori Yanitor for a 3-0 Cowgirl lead. Yanitor pinch ran for Piancastelli who walked to start the inning for the Cowgirls.
For the second straight game, McNeese outhit the Islanders with the Cowgirls picking up six hits and A&M-CC with five.
Langner led McNeese with a 2 for 2 plate appearance with one walk, scored a run and stole one base. Emily Vincent picked up the only extra base hit for the Cowgirls with a double in the first.
Jamie Allred improved to 4-3 on the season with the complete game shutout. The junior put together one of her best pitching performances of the season in her first shutout of the season. Allred allow one runner to advance past second base. She struck out one and walked only one batter.
In the second game, the Cowgirls opened it up with a run in the second frame on Schmidt’s second RBI of the day. Langner reached base on a fielder’s choice then came around to score on Schmidt’s single to right.
Piancastelli gave the McNeese a 2-0 lead in the fourth with a leadoff home run to left.
McNeese extended their lead to 4-0 in the sixth on a bases loaded walk by Catron for a 3-0 lead. The fourth run came when Bryanna Castro scored on a wild pitch.
Piancastelli put the final touches on the game in the seventh inning with a RBI double to right center that scored Vincent.
Smith gave up six hits with only two being extra base hits. She ended the game with four walks and four strikeouts.
McNeese will return home Tuesday to begin a six game home stand beginning with a three game series against Utah. The Cowgirls will remain home to host Houston Baptist in conference play on the weekend.
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Lamar 13, Abilene Christian 1 (5)
Lamar 5, Abilene Christian 4
BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar Lady Cardinals remained unbeaten in Southland Conference softball play after sweeping a doubleheader from visiting Abilene Christian on Saturday.
Lamar (12-10 overall, 5-0 Southland) erupted for 11 runs in the fourth inning of the opener for a 13-1 run-rule shortened five-inning victory before claiming a 5-4 walk-off win in the nightcap.
Lamar freshman right-hander Lauren Dannelley was the winning pitcher in both contests. Dannelley allowed three hits and one run over four innings in the first game as a starter before picking up the win in the nightcap with two innings of one-run relief.
Annika Seedborg worked one inning of scoreless relief in the first game for Lamar. Lauren Dannelley started and got no decision in the second game, allowing seven hits and three runs, one earned, over five innings.
In the opener, Lamar got its 13 runs on just six hits, taking advantage of 10 walks, three hit batters and two ACU errors. Sarah Ragsdale and Brynn Baca each had two hits and three RBIs in the game for Lamar, while Shannon Sain also drove in three runs. Stephanie Meeuwsen went 0-for-2 with a walk, ending her school-record 16-game winning streak.
Jenna Holland was the hitting hero for Lamar in the second game, hitting a walk-off two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to five the Lady Cardinals a come-from-behind win.
Holly Neese had two hits and an RBI in the second game for ACU (4-16, 1-4).
The series concludes with a single game at noon Sunday.
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Sam Houston State 6, Nicholls 4
Nicholls 5, Sam Houston State 1
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – After a late rally came up short in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Sam Houston State, the Nicholls State University softball team scored three runs in the first inning of the second game and it would be all pitcher Hannah Haydel needed as the Colonels took the series against the Bearkats with a split on Saturday with a 5-1 win after falling in the first game, 6-4.
With the split, Nicholls ups its record to 16-8 overall and 4-2 in the Southland. Sam Houston finished the day at 8-17 and 1-5.
In game one, Sam Houston gradually built a 6-0 lead before Nicholls threatened to send the game into extra innings with a four-run seventh.
Nicholls recorded five of its 11 hits in the seventh, starting with a single by Brooke Morris. Alexis Huss then drove in Morris with a single to left and Haley Parkerson made the deficit 6-2 with an RBI groundout. With two outs, Haley Stevenson, who had two hits in the game, drove in the third run before Nicholls added one more on an error. But with Payton Gremillion at the plate as the tying run, Sam Houston forced a groundout to first by Gremillion to escape with the win.
Along with Stevenson, Gremillion and Huss added two hits each. Jackie Johnson (4-5) suffered the loss, allowing four earned runs on four hits in 3.1 innings. Taylor Hastings pitched the rest of the game, surrendering four hits and two unearned runs.
In game two, the Colonels scored at least one run in the first three innings and Sam Houston could only muster an unearned run in the sixth against Haydel as the junior improved to 9-3 on the year.
Sam Houston managed just two hits against Haydel, who struck out one batter in seven innings of work. With the Colonels leading 5-0, the Bearkats scored their only run after a leadoff error led to an RBI groundout by Hillary Adams.
Nicholls jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first, scoring on a double by Kayla Prater and a two-run single by Kimmie Rodriguez. After the first two batters were retired, the Colonels drew two walks to keep the inning alive. Prater delivered a shot to left center for the first run before Rodriguez’s single capped the scoring.
In the second, Parkerson walked, stole second and scored on a single by Morris. The next inning, a leadoff double by Prater led to an RBI single by Parkerson to give Nicholls a comfortable 5-0 lead.
Sam Houston’s hits came in the third and fourth innings, but the Bearkats were unable to produce any runs. In the seventh, Haydel sat the Bearkats down in order to finish the game, clinching the series for the Colonels, two games to one.
Morris, Prater and Rodriguez all had two hits, and Prater led the team with two runs scored.
Haley Barros (1-6) lasted only 0.2 innings for Sam Houston and took the loss.
Nicholls returns to action on Tuesday, March 17, at No. 3 LSU. First pitch at Tiger Park is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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Central Arkansas 9, Stephen F. Austin 2
CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team returned to Southland Conference action on Saturday night, playing host to the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks at Farris Field. The Ladyjacks grabbed an early lead, but after that is was all Central Arkansas, as the Bears picked up the 9-2 victory.
Stephen F. Austin (7-13, 1-3 SLC) jumped out to 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Following a one-out walk and a single, catcher Taylor Fraccastoro doubled to right field to drive in a run, and was followed by third baseman Katelyn Standley, who picked up an RBI ground out.
Central Arkansas (16-6, 4-0 SLC) wasted no time in responding, scoring four runs on four hits in their half of the first to take a lead that they would not give back. Right fielder Briana Whisenhunt got things going with a one-out single and second baseman Sarah Bigej followed suit, ripping a single through the left side of the infield. Catcher Jessie Taylor then knotted the score at 2-2 with a double to left-center field and came in to score when leftfielder Hannah Stirton launched her first home run of the season over the fence in right-centerfield.
The Bears tacked on to their lead in the third, when shortstop Hayley Parker roped a triple down the right field line to score Bigej and Stirton.
Taylor capped the night’s scoring in the bottom half of the sixth, pounding a ball over the fence in leftfield to drive Whisenhunt and Bigej and make the lead 9-2.
Kylee Studioso (13-2) overcame a shaky first inning that saw her allow two runs on two hits and two walks to earn her 14th complete game of the year. She limited the Ladyjacks to a pair of runs on five hits and three walks while striking out nine in seven innings. Callee Guffey (3-6) took the loss for SFA, surrendering six runs on five hits and a walk. She struck out two in three innings. Hannah Welch threw three innings in relief of Guffeh, allowing three runs on six hits and walk while striking out one.
The Bears and Ladyjacks will finish up their series with a doubleheader slated to begin at 1:00 PM tomorrow.
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