CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Southeastern Louisiana offense exploded for 35 hits, as the Lady Lions picked up a doubleheader sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Southland Conference softball action Friday afternoon at Chapman Field.
 
Southeastern (14-11, 3-2 Southland) set a new school record for most runs in a doubleheader with 33 runs in its two road victories. The output broke the previous mark of 31 runs scored in a doubleheader sweep of Alcorn State in 2002, as SLU dropped AMCC to 8-19-1 overall and 0-5 in Southland play.  
 
In the opener, SLU scored 13 runs in the final three innings to pull away for a 17-5 run-rule victory. Junior Rebecca Skains led SLU with four RBI, while sophomore Ali McCoy drove in three runs.
 
Senior Alli Daigle paced an 18-hit SLU attack with a 4-for-5 performance, while senior Kinsey Nichols chipped in with three hits. Skains and senior Mahalia Gibson each scored three runs in the game. Sophomore Tanner Wright (4-1) earned the win in the circle, as she, senior Rachel Hayes and sophomore Alley McDonald combined to hold the Islanders to five hits.
 
Southeastern set a school record for runs in an inning with a 12-run seventh inning on the way to a 16-2 triumph in the nightcap. Skains and Daigle had three hits apiece, while Gibson hit her team-high seventh home run of the season in a 17-hit Lady Lion performance. Hayes (3-5) tossed three perfect innings of relief to earn the win in the circle.
 
The Lady Lions will go for the series sweep on Saturday. First pitch is set for noon and links to live video and stats will be accessible on the softball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
 
Game One – Southeastern Louisiana 17, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 5 (6 Innings)
The Islanders took the early lead in the bottom of the first inning. A two-run double by freshman Kaylee Hoppens staked AMCC to a 2-0 advantage.
 
SLU answered with two runs of its own in the top of the second inning. A pair of errors and a passed ball allowed senior Peyton Sutton to score the team's first run, then Nichols doubled home freshman Anna Rodenberg to tie the score at 2-2.
 
The Lady Lions took their first lead in the top of the third inning. McCoy singled home Skains to put SLU on top, then came home on an RBI double by freshman Ella Manzer to extend the Southeastern advantage to 4-2.
 
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi retook the lead in its half of the third inning. A sacrifice fly by junior Kaylon Dunn brought the Islanders within one. Junior Keagan Helson followed with a two-run home run to put AMCC back ahead, 5-4.
 
The lead would be short-lived. A two-run double by Skains scored Gibson and junior Jaquelyn Ramon to give Southeastern a 6-5 advantage.
 
Southeastern batted around to break open the game in the top of the fifth inning. Senior Maddie Edmonston drove in the inning's first run on a bases loaded groundout. A pair of two-run singles by Skains and McCoy pushed the Lady Lion lead to 11-5.
 
Any hope for an Islander comeback was crushed by a six-run sixth inning for SLU that saw the Lady Lions send 11 batters to the plate. A pair of AMCC errors led to the first four runs of the frame. Later in the inning, Skains stole home and senior Carlie Whittington singled home the game's final run to provide the final 17-5 margin.
 
McDonald tossed a perfect sixth to allow Southeastern to enforce the mercy rule.
 
Game Two – Southeastern Louisiana 16, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2
SLU took a 3-0 lead off sophomore Kandace Johnson (4-3) in the top of the first inning. Edmonston walked, followed by back-to-back singles by Ramon and Gibson to load the bases. Edmonston would score when Skains reached on a fielder's choice. Ramon scored on a wild pitch and McCoy doubled home Skains to give Southeastern a three-run cushion.
 
The Islanders loaded the bases versus senior Lacey Hill in the bottom of the second inning with two outs. A walk to senior Destiney Diaz forced in a run, but Hill kept the lead at two by forcing junior Kayla Sheridan to ground out to end the inning.
 
SLU got the run back in the top of the third inning. Gibson led off the frame with a line drive shot over the left centerfield fence to put Southeastern ahead, 4-1. AMCC answered in the bottom of the third, as Helson doubled home Dunn to cut the lead to 4-2.
 
Hayes and Johnson matched zeroes over the next several innings. Heading into the seventh, the Lady Lions were still ahead, 4-2.
 
What followed was the most prolific inning in the history of the Southeastern softball program. The frame featured 17 Lady Lion batters who collected nine hits and took advantage of three Islander errors. The 12-run inning broke the previous program mark for runs in an inning, besting the previous record of 10 runs scored in an inning versus Grambling in 2008.
 
In the inning, Daigle and Rodenberg each had two RBI, while Edmonston, freshman Madisen Blackford, sophomore Mattie Ort and Nichols each drove in runs also. SLU headed into the bottom of the seventh with a 16-2 lead and McDonald tossed a scoreless inning to secure the victory.