LAKE CHARLES, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana softball team's deepest Southland Conference Tournament run and winningest season in school history came to an end Thursday at Joe Miller Field.
 
After Southeastern (38-21) rallied for an extra-inning victory over Sam Houston State (24-33) in its first elimination game of the day, top-seeded Nicholls (40-14) ended the Lady Lions' tournament hopes in the nightcap to advance to Friday's championship round versus tournament host McNeese.
 
The 2018 campaign, the team's third under head coach Rick Fremin, will go down in the books as the most successful in school history. SLU set new program standards for overall wins, conference wins (18), conference tournament wins (three) and posted its best-ever finish in the Southland standings (tied for second), best-ever winning percentage and fewest losses.
 
Southeastern also set new single-season records for runs, triples, stolen bases, sacrifice flies and hit-by pitches. Senior Mahalia Gibson set a single-season school record with 59 RBI, while senior Maddie Edmonston set or matched single-season program marks for runs (49) and hit by pitches (18). Junior Jaquelyn Ramon will enter 2019 as the school's career stolen base leader with 121 in her three years in Hammond.  
 
In the opener, SLU rallied past SHSU for a dramatic 7-6 nine-inning victory, as freshman Madison Watson scored sophomore Ali McCoy with a walk-off triple into the right field corner. Twice the Lady Lions were down to their last at-bats. In the bottom of the seventh inning, freshman Ella Manzer hit a two-run home run to send the game to extra innings.
 
Gibson was the hero in the eighth inning hitting a game-tying solo home run to set up the game-winning RBI by Watson in the bottom of the ninth. Playing in her hometown, Lake Charles native and SLU sophomore Tanner Wright (5-1) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn the win in the circle.
 
In the nightcap, the regular season champion Colonels got all the offense it would need in the bottom of the first inning on a grand slam by senior Moriah Strother on the way to a 5-1 victory. Edmonston led SLU with two hits in her final game as a Lady Lion.
 
Game One – Southeastern Louisiana 7, Sam Houston State 6 (9 Innnings)
In the top of the first inning, the Bearkats mounted the game's first threat, putting a pair on with consecutive singles by freshman Brooke Malia and sophomore Megan McDonald. However, SLU senior Rachel Hayes recovered to force junior Codi Carpenter to pop out for the inning's final out.  
 
The Bearkats took the lead in unorthodox fashion in the top of the fourth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, sophomore Megan Crosby hit a pop up to second base and was called out on an infield fly. However, Gibson lost the ball in the sun, allowing the runner at third to score the go-ahead run.
 
SHSU senior Katie Andrie was poised to break the game open, but Lady Lion senior Kinsey Nichols robbed her of a three-run home run to keep the deficit at 1-0. The Bearkats added to their lead in the top of the fifth inning on a solo home run by sophomore Tiffany Thompson to go ahead, 2-0.
 
SHSU added more insurance in the top of the sixth inning. Crosby doubled home a run and another run came in on an RBI groundout by Andrie to give the Bearkats a 4-0 cushion.
 
SLU finally got to SHSU junior Lindsey McCleod in the bottom of the sixth inning. Walks by Ramon and Gibson put two runners on, then junior Rebecca Skains cleared the bases with a two-run double – her team-high 13^th of the season. Skains would then score on an RBI single by sophomore Mattie Ort, who moved to second on an error by senior Samantha Belongia but got caught in a run down between second and third for the final out, keeping SLU down, 4-3.
 
SHSU added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning thanks to a SLU error. After reaching on an error, Thompson scored on an RBI single by Carpenter to give the Bearkats a 5-3 lead.
 
After McCoy flared a single to shallow right, Manzer tied the game with a two-run shot – her second of her career and of the tournament – off the left field scoreboard to send the game to extra innings.
 
The Bearkats retook the lead in the top of the eighth inning. Crosby singled, advanced to third on a two-base throwing error and scored when Belongia reached on a fielder's choice. SLU sophomore Alley McDonald retired the next three Bearkats to keep the deficit at 6-5.
 
Southeastern just wouldn't go away. With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Gibson launched her team-high 12^th home run of the season over the left centerfield fence to tie the game and keep the Lady Lions' hopes alive.
 
After Wright threw a scoreless top of the ninth inning, McCoy greeted SHSU freshman reliever Darby Fitzpatrick (0-9) with a sharp single through the right side. After Manzer bunted McCoy into scoring position, Watson ripped a triple into the right field corner to give the Lady Lions the dramatic victory.
 
Game Two – Nicholls 5, Southeastern Louisiana 1
Southeastern took the lead against Nicholls freshman Alexis LaBure (14-5). Senior Edmonston led off the inning with a bunt single and eventually scored on an RBI groundout by Gibson. The run was the 49^th of the season for the St. Amant, Louisiana native, tying the single-season school record set by former Lady Lion Katie Lacour in 2016 and giving SLU a 1-0 advantage.
 
SLU senior Lacey Hill (12-7) walked the first two batters in the bottom of the first and gave way to Wright. After Wright retired junior Amanda Gianelloni, she hit junior Kasey Frederick and then senior Moriah Strother bombed a grand slam over the scoreboard to chase Wright and give Nicholls a 4-1 advantage. McDonald got out of the inning without allowing any more damage.
 
After the first inning offensive fireworks, LaBure and McDonald matched zeroes with neither team mounting much of an offensive threat for the next four innings.
 
LaBure walked Gibson and freshman Madisen Blackford in the top of the sixth inning and gave way to Nicholls junior reliever Amanda Holliday. Holliday promptly walked McCoy to load the bases with one out. However, Manzer followed with a laser that Nicholls sophomore first baseman Samantha Dares was able to snag and double up McCoy to end SLU's threat.
 
Nicholls finally got to McDonald in the bottom of the sixth inning. Junior Kali Clement led off the inning with a solo home run over the left centerfield fence to provide the Colonels with an insurance run and a 5-1 advantage.  
 
In the top of the seventh, Edmonston reached on a two-out single, but Holliday forced Nichols to ground out to close out the victory for the Colonels.
 
2018 Southland Conference Softball Tournament
May 8-11, 2018 | Joe Miller Field | Lake Charles, Louisiana
 
Tuesday, May 8 (All Games on Southland Digital Network)
Game 1 – No. 8 Sam Houston State 9, No. 5 Central Arkansas 1 (UCA eliminated)*
Game 2 – No. 7 Northwestern State 4, No. 6 Abilene Christian 3 (ACU eliminated)*
Game 3 – No. 4 Southeastern Louisiana 7, Sam Houston State 0
Game 4 – No. 3 McNeese 12, Northwestern State 5
* - Single-elimination
 
Wednesday, May 9 (All Games on Southland Digital Network)
Game 5 – No. 1 Nicholls 7, Southeastern Louisiana 4
Game 6 – McNeese 8, No. 2 Stephen F. Austin vs. McNeese 2
Game 7 – Southeastern Louisiana 6, Northwestern State 0 (NSU eliminated)
Game 8 – Sam Houston State 6, Stephen F. Austin (SFA eliminated)
 
Thursday, May 10 (All Games on Southland Digital Network)
Game 9 – McNeese 3, Nicholls 2 (8 innings)
Game 10 – Southeastern Louisiana 7, Sam Houston State 6 (9 innings) (SHSU eliminated)
Game 11 – Nicholls 5, Southeastern Louisiana 1 (SLU eliminated)
 
Friday, May 11
Game 12 – McNeese vs. Nicholls, Noon (ESPNU)
Game 13 – Rematch only necessary if Nicholls wins Game 12, TBD (ESPN3)
Tournament winner advances to the NCAA Tournament