HOUSTON, Texas – Southeastern Louisiana and Houston Baptist split a pair of 3-2 decisions in a Southland Conference softball doubleheader Friday afternoon at Husky Field.
The Lady Lions (18-19, 7-7 Southland) snapped a seven-game league road losing streak with a victory in the nightcap. HBU ended the day with a 12-18 overall record and a 3-11 mark in league play.
In the opener, Southeastern jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but Houston Baptist rallied for a 3-2 walk-off win. HBU starter Emily Mueller (5-11) limited SLU to three hits – two by junior infielder
Mahalia Gibson. Gibson and junior outfielder
Kinsey Nichols scored SLU's only runs and freshman infielder
Ali McCoy recorded the Lady Lions' lone RBI.
In the nightcap, Nichols, as well as junior outfielders
Kalyn Watts and
Maddie Edmonston each had two hits apiece to lead SLU to a 3-2 victory. Junior
Lacey Hill (8-6) went the distance in the circle, scattering seven hits and allowing two runs to even the series.
The series concludes on Saturday with a 12 p.m. rubber game. Live stats, audio and video, provided by the host Huskies, will be accessible on the softball schedule page of
www.LionSports.net.
Game One – Houston Baptist 3, Southeastern Louisiana 2
SLU junior
Rachel Hayes and Mueller matched zeroes until SLU took advantage of sloppy Husky defense in the top of the fourth inning. Nichols drew a leadoff walk then Demi Janak misplayed a bunt by Gibson to put a pair of runners on with no outs.
Freshman designated player
Mattie Ort hit a comebacker to Mueller, but her throw to first was dropped by Megan Hiers, allowing Nichols to score an unearned run. Gibson would eventually score on a ground out by McCoy to stake the Lady Lions to a 2-0 advantage.
HBU answered in the bottom of the fourth inning. Hayes hit Nicole Shedd and walked Libby Brown to put a pair of runners on. Hayes was pulled for freshman reliever
Tanner Wright after a wild pitch allowed both runners to move into scoring position. Wright limited the damage, though the Huskies did cut the lead in half with a sacrifice fly by Kassie James.
HBU tied it up in the bottom of the fifth inning. Kay Schroeder led off the inning with a single and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Shedd to tie the score.
The Huskies won it in the bottom of the seventh inning. Shedd walked, moved to third on a double by Libby Brown and scored on a walk-off single by James to give SLU senior
Kasey Nielson (1-2) the loss.
Game Two – Southeastern Louisiana 3, Houston Baptist 2
Southeastern took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Junior outfielder
Kalyn Watts led off the frame with a double down the left field line and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Nichols to give the Lady Lions the early advantage.
Hill danced out of jams through the first four innings before HBU tied it up in the bottom of the fifth inning. A two-out single by Hiers scored Kay Schroeder to knot the score at 1-1.
The Lady Lions answered in the top of the sixth inning. McCoy led off the frame with a triple and scored two outs later on a sharp RBI single up the middle by junior infielder
Alli Daigle. Watts followed with a double off the top of the left field fence to score McCoy and give SLU a 3-1 advantage.
HBU cut the lead in half in the bottom of the sixth inning. Brown worked a two-out walk and later scored on an RBI double by Janak to pull the Huskies to within 3-2.
HBU mounted one last two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh inning. Hiers reached on an error by McCoy, which Shedd followed with a double to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. However, Hill recovered and forced James to hit a soft liner to McCoy for the final out.
