HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana softball team closed out its home and non-conference schedules with a 5-1 victory over in-state foe Southern Tuesday evening at North Oak Park.
 
Southeastern (31-17) won its eighth game in its last nine contests. The Lady Lions are one victory shy of tying the single-season school record for wins by defeating Southern (14-20).
 
Seniors Kinsey Nichols and Mahalia Gibson led SLU with two RBI each, while senior Alli Daigle doubled in a run for Southeastern. Nichols and senior Maddie Edmonston each scored two runs for the Lady Lions.
 
Sophomore Alley McDonald (4-4) went the distance in the circle to earn the win for Southeastern. McDonald did not allow an earned run in the complete-game effort.
 
Southern took advantage of a SLU error to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. However, the Lady Lions retook the lead in the bottom of the first inning versus SU sophomore ace Aubrion James (8-10).
 
Edmonston led off the game with a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Nichols, who would eventually score on a sacrifice fly by Gibson to give Southeastern a 2-1 advantage.
 
The Lady Lions added to their lead in the bottom of the third inning. Nichols walked, stole second and scored all the way from second on a Gibson ground out to give SLU a 3-1 lead.
 
Sophomore Ali McCoy singled in the bottom of the fourth inning and scored when Daigle blooped a double into shallow right field. SLU closed out the scoring in the bottom of the fifth, as Edmonston walked, stole second, moved to third on an error and scored on a Nichols groundout.
 
Southern mounted one last threat in the top of the seventh inning. A one-out infield single by junior Shauna Knighten was all the Jaguars could manage, as McDonald retired senior Sydney Andrews and James to close out the victory.
 
The Lady Lions will head to Sam Houston State for a three-game Southland Conference series. The set opens with a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Friday and concludes on Saturday at noon in Huntsville, Texas.