HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana softball team put a scare into Mississippi State before ultimately falling, 4-3, in its 2015 road opener Thursday afternoon at the MSU Softball Field.
Southeastern (4-4) had the tying run in scoring position in each of the final three innings, but could never pull ahead. Freshman shortstop
Sydney Booker led the Lady Lions at the plate, hitting the first home run of her SLU career. Mississippi State improved to 10-1 on the season, as pitcher Alexis Silkwood (7-0) struck out 10 and scattered four hits in 6.2 innings of work.
MSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning against SLU senior
Spencer Adkinson (0-2). Third baseman Caroline Seitz line a three-run home run inside the left field foul pole to stake the Bulldogs to the early advantage. MSU added to its lead in the bottom of the second inning, as shortstop Kayla Winkfield doubled and later scored on a sacrifice fly by left fielder Amanda Ivy to take a 4-0 lead.
Southeastern cut the lead in half in the top of the third inning. With two outs, freshman outfielder
Kinsey Nichols reached on an error by Seitz. Booker followed with a bomb over the left field fence to cut the MSU advantage to 4-2.
From there, Adkinson and junior
Taylor Bishop combined to hold MSU at bay. Southeastern made it a one run game in the top of the fifth without the benefit of a hit. Junior designated player
Amber Sather walked and later scored when senior second baseman
Vanessa Eng reached on a throwing error to cut the lead to 3-2. With runners on second and third and two outs, Silkwood retired sophomore pinch hitter
Mychal Truxillo to end the inning.
SLU once again threatened in the bottom of the sixth inning, as back-to-back singles by sophomore outfielder
Sloan Jenkins and junior outfielder
Katie Lacour put a pair of runners on with one out. However, Nichols and Booker were retired to end the threat.
In the seventh, Sather reached second on a fielding error by centerfielder Loryn Nichols to start the frame. However, senior shortstop
Megan Moore, Eng and junior pinch hitter
Sydney McCullough each were retired, leaving freshman pinch runner
Shelby Stewart stranded.
Southeastern will be back in action this weekend, competing in the UTSA Classic in San Antonio, Texas. The Lady Lions open the tournament with a 10 a.m. game versus Iowa State on Saturday.
