LAFAYETTE, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana softball team split a pair of non-conference contests on day two of the 32
nd Annual Louisiana Classics Friday at Lamson Park on the UL Lafayette campus.
Southeastern (8-4) opened the day by rallying for a 4-3 victory over UMBC (1-5) in nine innings. In the nightcap, North Florida (7-6) edged SLU, 3-0.
Senior
Alli Daigle singled home the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give SLU the walkoff victory in the opener. UMBC led SLU, 3-0, heading into the seventh inning, but RBI by Daigle, senior
Peyton Sutton and freshman
Madison Watson tied the score and forced the fourth extra-inning game of the young season for the Lady Lions.
Senior
Lacey Hill (4-1) threw 3.2 innings of relief to earn the win in the circle over the Retrievers. Sophomore
Tanner Wright threw 5.0 scoreless innings to keep SLU within striking distance.
North Florida junior Sydney Matzko (3-3) threw a complete-game shutout in the nightcap. Senior
Maddie Edmonston was 3-for-3 at the plate in the loss for SLU. Senior
Rachel Hayes (2-2) took the loss in the circle, allowing seven hits in a complete-game effort.
Southeastern will close out the tournament on Saturday, facing Memphis at 11:30 a.m. and UMBC at 4:30 p.m. Live stats for both games can be accessed on the softball schedule page at
www.LionSports.net.
Game One – Southeastern Louisiana 4, UMBC 3 (9 Innings)
The Retrievers took the lead in the top of the first inning versus SLU sophomore
Alley McDonald. Sophomore Maddie Daigneau led off the game with a triple, then scored on an RBI single by freshman Julia Keffler. Another run came in later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by senior Carly Lesko to give UMBC a 2-0 advantage.
Wright and UMBC senior Kim Puccio (1-4) matched zeroes until the Retrievers added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. With two outs, senior Toni Santonastasso singled home Lesko to send Southeastern into its final turn at the plate facing a three-run deficit.
Senior
Mahalia Gibson reached on an error by Lesko to lead off the bottom of the seventh for the Lady Lions. Sophomore
Ali McCoy followed with a single, then Puccio hit sophomore
Brennan Bourgeois to load the bases with no outs. Watson plated the inning's first run with a sacrifice fly, Daigle scored another run with an RBI groundout and then Sutton singled home the game-tying run to send the game to extra innings.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, junior
Rebecca Skains drew a walk and later scored on an RBI single by Daigle to win the game for Southeastern.
Game Two – North Florida 3, Southeastern Louisiana 0
SLU mounted a threat in the top of the first inning versus Matzko. Senior
Kinsey Nichols walked, then senior
Mahalia Gibson reached on an error to put a pair of runners on with one out. However, Matzko retired Skains and Watson to keep the Lady Lions off the board.
The Ospreys took the lead for good in the bottom of the first inning. Junior Navia Penrod led off the inning with a bunt single. Two outs later, she scored on an RBI single by junior Dominica Cocuzza to give UNF a 1-0 lead.
Southeastern left runners on in four of the first five innings. North Florida would score a run in both the fifth and sixth innings to head into the seventh with a 3-0 advantage.
Sutton reached on an error, then Edmonston and Nichols singled to load the bases with two outs. But unlike the day's opening game, SLU could not complete another late-inning rally, as Matzko forced Gibson to ground out to third to close out the win.
