Softball: March 6 Scoreboard
Southland Conference
Lamar 11, Houston Baptist 0 (5)
Lamar 4, Houston Baptist 2
Southeastern Louisiana 8, Abilene Christian 5
McNeese State 14, Sam Houston State 5 (5)
Central Arkansas 8, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0 (5)
Northwestern State 8, UIW 0 (5)
Northwestern State 15, UIW 0 (5)
Lamar 11, Houston Baptist 0 (5)
Lamar 4, Houston Baptist 2
BEAUMONT, Texas – There was no way the Lamar Lady Cardinals were going to let their long-awaited housewarming be spoiled.
The Lady Cardinals rolled to a doubleheader sweep of Houston Baptist by scores of 11-0 and 4-2 at the brand-new Lamar Softball Complex in the first-ever home softball games played on the Lamar campus.
Lamar didn’t take long to get the offense going in the opener, as Casey Cromwell led off the bottom of the first with a double for the first LU hit and first-ever extra-base hit in the complex. Cromwell came around to score the first run at the facility as Sable Hankins doubled to record the first RBI.
The Lady Cardinals (9-9) scored in every inning of the game, plating three each in the first and second, one in the third and four in the fourth in the contest that was called after the top of the fifth because of the mercy rule.
Starter Laura Napoli (5-5) pitched all five innings for her first career shutout and the first shutout in stadium history. Napoli scattered six hits, did not walk anybody and struck out two.
Eight Lamar players had hits in the game, with Hankins leading the way with two. The LU offense took advantage of five walks, a hit batter and six Houston Baptist errors to roll to the convincing win.
Houston Baptist starter Laci Belovsky (4-5) took the loss, allowing five hits and six runs, two earned in 1 2/3 innings.
The second game was a much tighter affair. HBU starter Emily Mueller had a no-hitter for 3 1/3 innings before Shannon Sain emphatically put an end to that with a two-run home run to left-center field for the first ever HR in the stadium. Stephanie Meeuwsen followed with a single and Jenna Holland chased her home and chased Mueller from the game as the Lady Cardinals erupted for four runs in the fourth to bounce back from a 1-0 deficit.
Lamar starter Lauren Dannelley (4-4) worked the first five innings for the win, allowing nine hits and two runs. Napoli came on in the sixth with runners on second and third with nobody out and got out of the jam. She pitched two scoreless innings for her first career save.
Mueller (0-3) took the loss, allowing three hits and four runs, all earned, in 3 1/3 innings.
Lamar goes for the three-game sweep of the Huskies (6-12, 0-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday.
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Southeastern Louisiana 8, Abilene Christian 5
ABILENE, Texas – Senior first baseman Teresa Lemos and freshman outfielder Kinsey Nichols had three hits each to lead Southeastern Louisiana to an 8-5 victory over Abilene Christian in the Southland Conference softball opener for both teams Friday night at Poly Wells Field.
Lemos and Nichols each drove in two runs to help SLU (6-12, 1-0 Southland) to its second straight victory. Senior second baseman Vanessa Eng hit her second home run of the season for the Lady Lions, as she and junior outfielder Katie Lacour each had two hits.
Junior Taylor Bishop (4-3) went the distance in the circle, holding ACU (3-14, 0-1 Southland) to three earned runs and sending the Wildcats to their 10th straight loss.
Southeastern jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Consecutive singles by Lacour and Nichols, followed by freshman third baseman Sydney Booker drawing a walk loaded the bases. ACU senior pitcher Emily Seidel (2-11) then walked junior designated player Amber Sather to force in the first run.
SLU doubled its lead in the top of the second inning. Lemos led off the frame with a single and later scored on a RBI single by Nichols to put the Lady Lions ahead, 2-0.
ACU got on the board in the bottom of the third inning. Freshman outfielder Brianna Barnhill led off the frame with a solo home run over the left centerfield to cut the Lady Lion lead to 2-1.
Southeastern broke the game open in the top of the fourth inning. Lemos led off the inning with a double, then Eng ripped a two-run home run over the centerfield fence. Lacour followed with a single, then Nichols plated her with her team-high fourth triple of the season. A sacrifice fly by Booker scored Nichols and gave Southeastern a 6-1 lead.
Bishop and Seidel matched zeroes over the next few innings before ACU cut into the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. A single by junior catcher Cara Hoover and a double by freshman second baseman Holly Vanckhoven scored the first two runs, then the Wildcats took advantage of a Lacour error to cut the lead to 6-4.
Southeastern added insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning. Sather reached on an error, then sophomore outfielder Sloan Jenkins singled to put a pair or runners on. One out later, Lemos ripped a single up the middle to score junior Amanda Livaudauis and freshman Peyton Stokes-Sutton to put the Lady Lions up, 8-4.
Freshman outfielder Kristin Watkins and freshman shortstop Peyton Hedrick reached on consecutive singles for ACU in the bottom of the seventh. After the runners moved up on a passed ball, Watkins scored on a groundout by freshman third baseman Kaleigh Lightsey. Bishop followed by forcing Hoover to fly out to secure the victory.
The series concludes on Saturday with an 11 a.m. doubleheader.
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McNeese State 14, Sam Houston State 5 (5)
LAKE CHARLES, La. – McNeese State’s 14-5, five inning Southland Conference softball victory over Sam Houston State looked more like a home run derby than a game, with six balls leaving the park.
Freshman Ericka Piancastelli led McNeese’s 14 hit attack with a 3 for 4 plate appearance. Piancastelli hit two home runs, giving her four on the year along with five RBI and scored two runs.
Eight of the Cowgirls’ 14 hits were extra base hits. Taylor Schmidt hit her second home run of the season in the second inning to give McNeese a 5-0 lead. Tori Yanitor’s first career home run came in the fifth.
The Bearkats got their first run of the game off a solo home run by Hillary Adams in the fourth to cut the lead to 5-1.
Sam Houston State came back to tie the game at five all in the top of the fifth by scoring four runs on three hits and one Cowgirl error.
With one out, the Bearkats Jessica Slater reached on a Cowgirl error that allowed her to make it all the way to third. The next batter tripled to right for the second SHSU run. A single by Peyton Webb scored Dani Allen to cut the McNeese lead to 5-3. Adams came up big again with her second home run of the game to knot things up at five apiece.
In the bottom half of the inning, McNeese responded with nine runs on six hits and one SHSU error.
McNeese put together a string of four hits including back-to-back long balls by Piancastelli and Yanitor that put the Cowgirls up 8-5. A bases loaded triple by Hailey Drew cleared the bases to give McNeese an 11-5 lead. Drew scored on a wild pitch for a 12-5 McNeese lead.
The game ended after Emily Vincent was hit by a pitch and Piancastelli blasted her second home run of the game for the 14-5 victory.
Jamie Allred picked up the complete game victory to improve to 2-3 on the year while Tayler Atkinson took the loss, falling to 1-4 on the season.
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Central Arkansas 8, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0 (5)
CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team opened Southland Conference play on Friday afternoon, playing host to the Islanders of Texas-A&M-Corpus Christi at Farris Field. The Bears had a big offensive day, tallying 12 hits to pick up an 8-0 win.
Central Arkansas (13-6, 1-0 SLC) wasted little time in scoring, taking a 2-0 lead when left fielder Hannah Stirton drove in third baseman Sam Forrest and right fielder Briana Whisenhunt with a single up the middle in the bottom of the first.
The Bears found plenty of insurance in the fourth, plating four runs on five hits to extend their lead to 6-0. Designated player Audrey Pratt led off the inning with a single to right-center and moved to second on a single from shortstop Haley Parker. Following a fielder’s choice, centerfielder Amy Gunnells roped a double to left-center to drive in Pratt. Whisenhunt then singled to third to score first baseman Ashley Boswell and push the
UCA lead to 4-0. Second baseman Sarah Bigej ripped a double through the left side of the infield to plate Gunnells, and Whisenhunt came in to score on a throwing error, putting the Bears up 6-0.
Stirton led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to left-center and, after stealing second came in on a single from Parker, who then stole second and moved to third on a single from Boswell. Another throwing error allowed Parker to scamper in from third and give the Bears the 8-0 win.
Kylee Studioso (11-2) earned the win, limiting the Islanders (4-13-1, 0-1 SLC) to five hits while striking out seven and walking one. Liz Carter (3-8) took the loss, surrendering eight runs on 11 hits and a walk in 4.1 innings. She struck out six Bears. Katie Blanar allowed one hit.
Whisenhunt led the Central Arkansas offense on the day, going a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate with two runs and an RBI. Parker and Stirton each went 2-for-3. Hayley Galloway and Lindsey Lyles each recorded a double for the Islanders.
The teams will close out their series tomorrow, playing a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 AM, and the second game will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
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Northwestern State 8, UIW 0 (5)
Northwestern State 15, UIW 0 (5)
NATCHITOCHES, La. – Northwestern State softball used two monster innings including an eight-run second in Game 1 and seven-run first in Game 2 to defeat Incarnate Word on Southland Conference opening day, 8-0 and 15-0 at the Lady Demon Diamond on Friday.
Micayla Sorosiak notched three home runs on the day, bringing her career total to 10 and season total to six. She hit two in the second inning of Game 1, including a three-run bomb off the right field scoreboard to put the Lady Demons (11-12, 2-0 Southland) up eight runs on UIW (3-16, 0-2 SLC).
Sorosiak added a solo home run that cleared the center field wall in the fourth inning of Game 2 to put NSU up 12-0.
In Game 1, Kaytie Proctor picked up her first collegiate home run with a ball that snuck inside the left field foul pole to follow up Sorosiak’s first long ball.
In the frame, Kellye Kincannon split the gap in left center to drive home two more runs. The sophomore added a phenomenal turn around catch in right field during the fourth inning.
Micaela Bouvier was dominant in the circle, earning her fifth win of the season in Game 1, tossing five innings, allowing just two hits and striking out four.
UIW starter Kristin Herbert lasted just 1 1-3 innings, allowing six hits and five runs against 10 batters faced. The Cardinals’ Alex Alanzo and Anne-Marie Moore secured the team’s only two hits.
In Game 2, NSU needed just four hits, thanks to two UIW errors, to tally seven runs in the first. After Cassandra Barefield drove in Kincannon and Brittany Virgoe on a single, Brittney Jones picked up her fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot, to stretch the lead to 4-0.
Two innings later, the Lady Demons put up a four-spot, highlighted by a three-run long ball over the Outfield Club in from Jones. In the fourth, it was more of the same for NSU, with four runs in the frame, including a three-run laser home run from Kincannon.
Baylee Gray allowed just three hits in five innings pitched, securing her second win of the season. UIW’s Mikaela Flores lasted just 1-3 of an inning, giving up four runs and walking another in the frame.
On the day, Virgoe recorded her 30th career hit by pitch, tying Shante Jones (1996-99) for the NSU all-time mark.
NSU and UIW conclude the three-game series on Saturday at one o’clock.
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