Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls split Saturday's Southland Conference softball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at North Oak Park.
 
The Lady Lions (19-12, 6-3 Southland) followed up their 6-4 win in Friday's series opener with a 3-2 victory in the opening game of Saturday's twin bill. Nicholls (20-9, 7-2 Southland) avoided the series sweep with a 2-0 shutout in Saturday's nightcap.
 
In the opener, senior Rachel Hayes came in with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the seventh inning to protect a one-run SLU lead. The Lady Lion senior from Ocean Springs, Mississippi retired the heart of the Colonels order to earn her second save of the season.
 
Hayes closed out the win for senior Lacey Hill (8-3), who scattered seven hits in six innings of work. Senior Maddie Edmonston and sophomore Mattie Ort each drove in runs to lead the Lady Lion offensive attack.
 
Junior Amanda Holliday (3-1) and freshman Alexis LaBure combined to hold SLU to three hits in the nightcap. Sophomore Alley McDonald (1-3) took the hard-luck loss in the circle for the Lady Lions, scattering four hits, striking out four and allowing one earned run in a complete-game effort.
 
Overall, Southeastern third-year head coach Rick Fremin was pleased with his team's effort during the series.
 
"Obviously we would've liked the sweep, but any time we can take a conference series from a quality opponent like Nicholls, we're pleased." Fremin commented. "Our pitchers gave us a chance to win in all three games this week and we played good defense behind them all weekend.
 
"We did a good job being aggressive and putting pressure on Nicholls during the first two games," Fremin added. "We couldn't string together enough hits in game three, but this was a great weekend for our program. We've put ourselves in a good position heading into the meat of our Southland Conference schedule."
 
SLU will return to the road next week. The Lady Lions head to Lamar for a three-game series that opens next Friday with a 4 p.m. doubleheader, then closes with a 3 p.m. contest on Saturday in Beaumont, Texas.  
 
Game One – Southeastern Louisiana 3, Nicholls 2
Hill and Nicholls junior ace Megan Landry (12-5) matched zeroes through the first two innings, then the Colonels mounted the game's first real threat in the top of the third inning.
 
Sophomore Brooklyn Devine reached on an error to lead off the frame and junior Amanda Gianelloni drew a walk to put a pair of runners on with two outs. Hill kept the Colonels off the board by striking out junior Kali Clement to end the inning.
 
SLU took the lead in the bottom of the third inning. Senior Kinsey Nichols singled to lead off the game, then stole second. Edmonston laid down a perfect bunt to the left of the circle. The bunt got past Landry and with Gianelloni leaving her shortstop position to cover third, the ball rolled all the way to the outfield, allowing Nichols to come around to score for a 1-0 lead.
 
Edmonston then stole second and third. On her steal of third, Clement's throw sailed into left field, allowing Edmonston to come home and score. Junior Jaquelyn Ramon followed with a double, advanced to third on an error by junior Kasey Frederick and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ort to put the Lady Lions on top, 3-0.
 
Nicholls got on the board in the top of the fourth inning. Frederick led off the inning with a solo home run over the left field fence to cut the lead to 3-1. Freshman Yasmeen Williams drew a walk with one out, but then Edmonston doubled up sophomore pinch runner Mallery Marino at first on a fly out by freshman Emma Holland with a great throw from right centerfield.
 
SLU threatened to bust open the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Edmonston was hit by a pitch, then senior Mahalia Gibson and Ort each walked to load the bases with two outs. LaBure was able to keep the SLU lead at 3-1 by retiring sophomore Ali McCoy to end the inning with the bases loaded.
 
Nicholls wouldn't go away quietly in the top of the seventh inning. Singles by Devine and freshman Kelsey Miller chased Hill from the game. Freshman Jewel Lara then greeted sophomore reliever Tanner Wright with a bunt single to load the bases with no outs.
 
Wright then walked Gianelloni to force in a run. Fremin then went to Hayes as his next option in the circle. After starting the season 2-5, Hayes has won her last four decisions in the circle.
 
Hayes first forced Clement to hit a sharp grounder to Gibson at third, who easily threw out Miller at home for the first out. Hayes then forced Frederick and sophomore Samantha Dares to both pop out to Ramon to clinch the series.
 
"I told Rachel to reach down and dig deep when I put her in and she didn't back down one bit," Fremin said. "Our infield nodded and told her to go get it and that they were with her. I couldn't be more pleased with how she responded in that situation and her teammates recognized her for it after the game."
 
Game Two – Nicholls 2, Southeastern Louisiana 0
McDonald and Holliday were dominant through the first four innings, as neither team mounted a major threat until the top of the fifth inning. Clement reached on an error, Williams singled and Frederick was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the Colonels with no outs.
 
Lara bunted home Clement to put the Colonels on board. Later in the frame, an RBI ground out by junior Gretchen Morgan forced in another run and put Nicholls up, 2-0.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Ramon led off the inning with an infield single to chase Holliday from the game. LaBure retired Gibson, junior Rebecca Skains and Ort to strand Ramon and keep SLU off the board. LaBure would retire the Lady Lions in order in the bottom of the seventh inning to earn her fourth save of the season.