LAKE CHARLES, La. – Southeastern Louisiana seniors Katie Lacour and Amber Sather each moved to closer to setting new single-season school records, but McNeese State earned two wins over the Lady Lions in Southland Conference softball action Saturday afternoon at Cowgirl Diamond.
 
Southeastern fell to 22-27 overall and 5-16 in Southland play. The Cowgirls (33-10, 18-3 Southland) remained atop the league standings.
 
In the opener, McNeese State scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning on the way to a 9-1 victory. Freshman Whitney Sullivan led the Lady Lions with two hits, while Sather singled home sophomore Kinsey Nichols for SLU's lone run. The RBI was the 44^th of the season for Sather, moving the Kennedale, Texas native six away from the school's single-season mark.
 
McNeese State erased an early 2-0 deficit on the way to a 10-3 victory in the nightcap. Lacour scored her team-high 44^th run of the season – two off the single-season school record she set last season. Nichols and freshman Jaquelyn Ramon also scored runs for the Lady Lions, while sophomore Brittney Wingate and junior Mychal Truxillo each were credited with RBI.
 
Southeastern will return to action next week, hosting Nicholls for a three-game Southland Conference series. The series opens with a 6 p.m. contest on Friday. Saturday will be Senior Day, as the Lady Lions will honor the senior class of Sydney McCullough, Madison Vige', Amanda Livaudais, Taylor Bishop, Sather and Lacour prior to the 12 p.m. doubleheader.
 
Game One – McNeese State 9, Southeastern Louisiana 1 (6 Innings)
McNeese State took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning without the benefit of a hit. Bishop (12-14) hit Erika Piancastelli, then put runners on second and third with no outs with a throwing error. Piancastelli would score later in the inning on an RBI groundout by Morgan Catron.
 
The Cowgirls threatened again in the bottom of the second inning, as Bishop walked Taylor Goree and Justyce McClain beat out an infield single to put a pair of runners on with two outs. However, Bishop struck out Piancastelli to keep the deficit at 1-0.
 
Southeastern mounted its first scoring threat in the top of the third inning. Singles by Sullivan and Lacour put runners on the corners with one out. Jamie Allred (12-2) answered by retiring Ramon and Nichols to keep SLU off the board.
 
McNeese State busted the game open by sending 10 to the plate in the bottom of the third inning. Bishop walked in two runs before Vige' came in to relieve her. An RBI single by Megan Trahan and a two-run single by McClain gave the Cowgirls a commanding 6-0 lead.
 
Southeastern got on the board in the top of the sixth inning. Nichols walked, then scored when Sather laced a base hit into the right centerfield gap to cut the Cowgirl lead to 6-1. Livaudais followed with a single of her own to put a pair of runners on with one out. Allred kept the deficit at five by retiring freshmen Taylar Fuselier and Kameryn Fairchild to get out of the inning.
 
McNeese State enforced the run-rule with three unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Tori Yanitor singled home the frame's first run, then Goree ended the game with a two-run single.
 
Game Two – McNeese State 10, Southeastern Louisiana 3
Southeastern took its first lead of the series in the top of the first inning, as Rachel Smith walked Lacour, Ramon and Sather to load the bases. Lacour would score when Wingate reached on a fielder's choice, then Truxillo singled home Ramon to give the Lady Lions an early 2-0 lead.
 
SLU squandered an opportunity to bust the game open in the top of the second inning. Sullivan singled, Livaudais reached on an error and Lacour walked to chase Smith from the game. Jolie Trahan came in for the Cowgirls and retired Ramon, Nichols and Sather to get out of the frame unscathed.
 
McNeese State made Southeastern pay for its wasted chance taking the lead for good in the bottom of the second inning. McNeese scored on an error and an RBI single by Marisa Taunton to tie the score and chase freshman Caitlyn VanHemelryck (4-7) from the game. Bishop came in to relieve the Lady Lion starter and Piancastelli hit her league-high 20^th home run of the season just inside the left field foul pole to give MSU a 4-2 cushion.
 
The Lady Lions threatened again in the top of the third inning. Wingate singled to lead off the inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Truxillo and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Sophomore Grace DeLee then hit a hot shot at MSU second baseman Hailey Drew. Wingate hesitated before running home and was gunned out trying to score.
 
McNeese padded its lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Catron drew a bases-loaded walk, Yanitor singled a run home and Emily Vincent capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to give the Cowgirls a 7-2 lead.
 
Southeastern cut into the lead in the top of the fifth inning. Nichols was hit by Trahan to start the frame, advanced to second on a passed ball, moved to third on a Wingate ground out and scored on an error by Goree to pull the Lady Lions to within, 7-3.
 
McNeese State increased its margin in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Cowgirls took advantage of a passed ball and two Lady Lion errors to score three unearned runs and go ahead, 10-3.