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GRAMBLING – Sophomore shortstop Kayla Elswick and junior first baseman Ariell Van Hook each hit two home runs to help the Southeastern Louisiana softball team to a pair of mercy rule victories and a doubleheader sweep of Grambling in non-conference action Tuesday afternoon at the GSU Softball Complex.
 
Southeastern (13-34) scored a combined 30 runs in the two wins – one off a school record for runs in a doubleheader. The offensive output was more than enough for junior pitchers Kenna Terry (4-15) and Kati Morse (4-4), who each hurled complete game victories on Tuesday, dropping Grambling to 12-26 overall.
 
In the opener, the Lady Lions posted a season high for runs, exploding for 15 hits on the way to a 17-4 win. Elswick hit a grand slam and drove in five runs, while Van Hook drilled a three-run home run. Senior left fielder Trish Bliss and senior catcher Meghan Gomez each drove in two runs in the win, while sophomore Emily Moreno picked up the first hit of her Lady Lion career. Terry scattered five hits and struck out three for the win.
 
Southeastern didn't slow down in the nightcap, posting a pair of records on the way to a 13-3 victory. Bliss hit the first home run of her Southeastern career, as she, Elswick and Van Hook each homered in a 10-run top of the second inning for the Lady Lions. The 10 runs matched the most ever scored in an inning by Southeastern, while it also marked the first time the Lady Lions have hit three home runs in an inning.
 
Junior right fielder Katie Doyle was 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles in the victory, while senior centerfielder Katie Matthews drove in two runs. Morse fanned five and allowed just one earned run in a complete-game win.
 
Southeastern head coach Pete Langlois is hopeful Tuesday's efforts will allow his team to close out the season strong.
 
“We were really proud of the way we competed at the plate today,” Langlois commented. “We would've liked to see more of this production earlier in the season, but we need to keep our bats hot and concentrate on winning out.”
 
Southeastern will close its road schedule on Wednesday, facing Southern Miss at 6 p.m. in Hattiesburg, Miss. Live stats for Wednesday's game will be available at www.southernmiss.com and fans can follow the action via Twitter at www.twitter.com/sluathletics.
 
Game One – Southeastern Louisiana 17, Grambling 4 (5 Innings)
Southeastern took a 2-0 lead against GSU starter Aneshia Higgins (2-7) in the top of the second inning. Senior third baseman Lauren Coniglio started a two-out rally with a single and then moved to second on a wild pitch. Sophomore designated player Jessie Browne then powered a double off the left field fence to score Coniglio. Batting for the first time this season, senior pitcher Vicki Honeycutt, who got the start in centerfield, lined a shot to left that Grambling left fielder Ashanti Joe misplayed, allowing Browne to score and giving the Lady Lions an early cushion.
 
After Grambling got a run back in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI single by Briana Carmouche, Southeastern broke the game open in its half of the third. Doyle drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a bunt single by sophomore second baseman Megan McCollum and scored on a single up the middle by Gomez. One out later, Van Hook lined a towering shot well over the left field fence to put Southeastern up, 6-1.
 
Grambling managed two runs in the bottom of the third on an RBI groundout by Ivory Nichols and a sacrifice fly by Hilary Velasquez to cut the lead to 6-3. However, any hope of a Lady Tiger comeback was squashed in the Southeastern fourth.
 
Gomez forced in the inning's first run by drawing a bases loaded walk. The next batter was Elswick, who hit a high shot over the left field wall to give the Lady Lions a commanding 11-3 lead.
 
The Lady Lions poured it on with six more runs in the fifth. Southeastern took advantage of two GSU errors to plate two of its runs. Moreno, seeing her first action of 2012, singled to lead off the frame and the Greenwell Springs native scored on an RBI single by Elswick. Sophomore designated player Tori Sheppard singled home another run, then Bliss capped the inning's scoring with a two-run double to put the Lady Lions on top, 17-3.
 
The host Lady Tigers did manage to score a run in the bottom half of the fifth inning. However, that was all the damage Terry would allow, as the Baytown, Texas product retired Raven Turner to enforce the mercy rule win.
 
Game Two – Southeastern Louisiana 13, Grambling 3 (5 Innings)
Southeastern sent 14 batters to the plate against Higgins in the record-setting second inning, as the first eight batters of the frame reached base. Elswick led off the frame with her fourth home run of the season to put the Lady Lions on the board. Higgins then issued consecutive walks to Van Hook, Coniglio and Sheppard to load the bases. Matthews followed with a double just inside the left field line to plate a pair.
 
Bliss was up next and lined a three-run home run over the left field fence. The home run was the first for the Lafayette native since joining the program out of Chipola College prior to the 2011 season. Doyle then walked and moved to second on a single by McCollum. A Gomez single and an error by Joe sent both runners home and gave Southeastern an 8-0 lead.
 
One out later, Van Hook capped the inning's scoring with her seventh home run of the year, marking the third straight game the Whittier, Calif. native has homered. The two-run shot, much like Van Hook's blast in the opener, easily cleared the left field fence and put the Lady Lions up, 10-0.
 
A passed ball and a wild pitch allowed Grambling to scratch out a run in the bottom of the second inning. However, Southeastern got the lead back to double digits in the top of the third inning. Doyle doubled with one out and scored on an RBI double by McCollum. McCollum would score later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Van Hook to give Southeastern a 12-1 edge.
 
After GSU cut the lead to 12-2 in its half of the third inning, Southeastern got the run back in the top of the fourth inning. Sheppard reached on an error by Latrice Wood and scored on Doyle's second double of the game to put the Lady Lion lead at 13-2.
 
Grambling was able to pull within 10 in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring an unearned run on a pair of errors by Elswick. Morse would not allow the Lady Tigers any closer, retiring Turner to end the game, securing the mercy rule triumph and the sweep.