HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The Southeastern Louisiana softball team set a new single-season school record for victories with a doubleheader sweep of Sam Houston State Friday evening at the SHSU Softball Complex.
With the wins, SLU (33-17, 16-7 Southland) bested the previous single-season school wins mark of 32, set by the 2013 squad. The Lady Lions also clinched a berth in next month's Southland Conference Tournament, scheduled for May 8-11 in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
By taking the series from Sam Houston State (19-30, 10-13 Southland), Southeastern remained within a game of league leader Nicholls with four games left in the regular season.
"This was a great accomplishment for our program to set a new single-season school record for victories," Southeastern head coach
Rick Fremin said. "We're also very pleased to be able to clinch a postseason berth. I'm extremely proud of this group and now we can focus on improving our seeding and playing our best softball heading into the tournament."
The Lady Lions also saw one of their standout performers set a new single-season school record. With two runs batted in, SLU senior
Mahalia Gibson ran her 2018 total to 51 RBI, breaking the previous school record of 50 held by former Lady Lion Kristy Menke in 2002.
In the opener, SLU battled to a 5-4 victory. A three-run home run by senior
Kinsey Nichols staked the Lady Lions to an early lead, then Gibson and junior
Rebecca Skains broke a 3-3 tie with consecutive two-out RBI to provide the winning runs.
Senior
Rachel Hayes (14-7) scattered five hits and struck out eight in a complete-game effort. She did not allow an earned run on the way to her fifth straight decision in a wild series opener that saw the two teams combine for eight errors.
In the nightcap, Skains was 4-for-4 to lead a 13-hit SLU attack in a 5-1 victory. Freshman
Ella Manzer added a pair of doubles, while freshman
Madison Watson hit her first collegiate home run.
Senior
Lacey Hill (11-5) and sophomore
Alley McDonald combined to hold SHSU to three hits. Hill earned the win with 5.1 innings of work, while McDonald earned her first save of the season with 1.2 shutout innings in relief.
The lone damper in Southeastern's big day came in the latter part of the day's opener, when senior and SLU starting second baseman
Alli Daigle suffered a broken hand that will end her final collegiate season.
"Our hearts go out to Alli," Fremin commented. "She's been such a huge part of our success this season. Her teammates will help her through this and she knows she's not alone."
The series wraps with a 12 p.m. contest between the two teams on Saturday. Live stats, provided by the hosts, will be accessible on the softball schedule page at
www.LionSports.net.
Game 1 – Southeastern Louisiana 5, Sam Houston State 4
Hayes and SHSU junior Lindsey McCleod (11-10) matched zeroes until the Lady Lions got on the board in the top of the third inning. A single by Daigle and a walk by junior
Jaquelyn Ramon gave SLU its first baserunners with one out. One out later, Nichols lined her first home run of the season over the right field fence to stake SLU to a 3-0 advantage.
SHSU answered with an unearned run in the bottom of the third inning. Freshman Karlee Canada doubled just out of the reach of Nichols to lead off the inning and scored one out later on a throwing error by Ramon to cut the Lady Lion edge to 3-1.
Southeastern looked poised to add to its lead in the top of the fourth inning, as Skains reached on a two-base error to lead off the frame. However, McLeod retired sophomore
Mattie Ort, sophomore
Ali McCoy and Manzer to keep the SLU lead at 3-1.
SHSU mounted its own threat in the bottom of fourth inning, as a double by sophomore Megan Crosby and a single by freshman Sheridan Fisher put runners on the corners with one out. However, Hayes recovered to strike out senior Katie Andrie and retire sophomore
Taylar Fuselier to get out of the inning unscathed.
The Bearkats tied the game up with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Errors by Gibson and McCoy allowed SHSU to tie the score at 3-3.
Southeastern took the lead with a two-out rally in the top of the seventh inning. Nichols walked, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Gibson. Skains then followed with her team-high 10
th double of the season to score freshman pinch runner
Madisen Blackford and give SLU a 5-3 lead.
The Bearkats scored another unearned run in the bottom of the seventh inning on SLU's fourth error of the game. However, McCoy snagged a line drive shot off the bat of freshman Brooke Malia and threw out sophomore Megan McDonald at first for the game-ending double play.
Game Two – Southeastern Louisiana 5, Sam Houston State 1
SHSU took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning, as Hill walked the first two batters she faced. Junior Codi Carpenter, who drew the game's first walk, eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Malia to give the Bearkats a 1-0 lead.
SLU took the lead in the top of the second inning off SHSU freshman Annie Bailey (6-5). After Manzer doubled into the right centerfield gap, Watson hit a mammoth home run off the left centerfield scoreboard to give the Lady Lions a 2-1 advantage.
Hill and Bailey pitched out of trouble over the next several innings. In the top of the sixth inning, Malia led off the frame with a deep shot to centerfield. Senior
Maddie Edmonston made a leaping grab at the fence to rob Malia. McDonald then came in to get the final two outs of the inning to keep SLU's lead at one.
Southeastern broke open the game in the top of the seventh inning. Ramon doubled down the left field line to lead off the inning, then Edmonston beat out a bunt single to put runners at the corners with no outs. After Edmonston stole second, Nichols hit a ball to the right side of the infield to score Ramon.
Gibson then doubled off the left field fence to score Edmonston. Later in the frame, freshman pinch runner
Anna Rodenberg scored on an RBI groundout by Blackford to give SLU a 5-1 advantage.
A runner got on in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a one-out error. However, McDonald forced Carpenter to line in to a game-inning double play to complete the sweep.
