STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Southeastern Louisiana softball team split a pair of non-conference contests on the opening day of The Snowman/Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament Sunday at Nusz Park on the Mississippi State campus.
In the opening game of the day, SLU (6-7) pushed host Mississippi State (10-3) to the limit, before ultimately falling, 4-3, in nine innings. The Lady Lions bounced back to blank Alcorn State (2-5), 8-0, in the nightcap.
Southeastern outhit the hosts, 11-9, in the first game of the day. Every Lady Lion positional starter had at least one hit, paced by
Lindsey Rizzo and
Bobbi Smith with two hits apiece.
Karlee Kraft (2-0) and
Caitlyn VanHemelryck combined to hold Alcorn State to three hits in a combined shutout effort in the final game of the tournament's first day. Smith,
Mima Doucet and
Ali McCoy recorded two hits apiece for SLU in the victory.
Jaquelyn Ramon had three of SLU's season-high 10 steals in the win over the Lady Braves.
Southeastern will close out tournament play on Monday, facing Georgia Tech at 10 a.m. and Alcorn State at 12:30 p.m.
Game One – Mississippi State 4, Southeastern Louisiana 3 (9 Innings)
Mississippi State jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning against SLU starter
Alley McDonald. Mia Davidson lifted a two-out solo home run over the left field fence to give the Bulldogs the early advantage.
Southeastern took its first lead in its half of the third inning. Singles by
Madisen Blackford and
Jaquelyn Ramon put a pair on with one out, then Rizzo cleared the bases with her first collegiate double to put SLU ahead, 2-1. Mia Davidson tied the scores in the bottom of the third with an RBI single.
From there, the respective pitching staffs – McDonald and
Tanner Wright (2-2) for SLU and the trio of Candace Denis, Alyssa Loza and Grace Fagan for MSU – kept the score deadlocked and forced extra innings.
SLU retook the lead in the top of the eighth inning.
Ella Manzer drew a walk, Doucet was hit by a pitch and
Pryscilla Prince walked to load the bases with one out.
Madison Watson then hit a foul out deep enough to right to score Manzer and stake SLU to a 3-2 lead.
Wright had Mississippi State down to its last out in the bottom of the eighth. However, Mia Davidson struck again with a solo home run over the centerfield fence to tie the score. Despite MSU loading the bases after Davidson's second homer of the contest, Wright extended the game by forcing Sarai Niu to fly out to end the frame.
Southeastern threatened in the top of the ninth, as Smith and Ramon singled, then Rizzo walked to load the bases with no outs. However, MSU reliever Emily Williams retired
Rebecca Skains, Manzer and Doucet to get out of the inning unscathed.
Mississippi State would end it in the bottom of the ninth inning. Carter Spexarth reached on an error, Grace Dabbs beat out a bunt for a single and Mia Davidson was walked to load the bases with two outs. A single by Fa Leilua plated the game-winning run and secured the hard-fought victory for the Bulldogs.
Game Two – Southeastern Louisiana 8, Alcorn State 0 (6 Innings)
The speedy Ramon gave the Lady Lions the lead in the bottom of the first inning. After reaching on an error, she stole second, third and home to put SLU on top, 1-0. With 23 steals this year, Ramon, the Southeastern and Southland Conference career record holder and active leader among Division I players, has 144 career stolen bases.
For the next several innings, Kraft and ASU starter Paige Taylor (2-2) matched zeroes until Southeastern broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth inning. A two-run triple by Smith highlighted the five-run frame, as McCoy, Blackford and Rizzo each also drove in runs to give Southeastern a 6-0 lead.
The Lady Lions padded their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Prince followed a one-out single by Doucet with her second double of the season to put Southeastern up, 7-0.
Southeastern enforced the mercy rule in the bottom of the sixth inning. Smith singled, stole second and scored on an Alcorn State error to give SLU the 8-0 win.
The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament
Sunday, February 24
Georgia Tech 8, Alcorn State 4
Mississippi State 9, Georgia Tech 0 (5 Innings)
Mississippi State 4, Southeastern Louisiana 3 (9 Innings)
Southeastern Louisiana 8, Alcorn State 0 (6 Innings)
Monday, February 25
10 a.m. –
Georgia Tech vs. Southeastern Louisiana
12:30 p.m. –
Alcorn State vs. Southeastern Louisiana
3 p.m. –
Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech
5:30 p.m. –
Mississippi State vs. Alcorn State
Home teams in
bold
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics has instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events (softball, baseball, football and basketball), effective with the start of the 2018 football season. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit
www.LionSports.net/clear.
HOME RUN CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the softball program are encouraged to join the Home Run Club. Lady Lion softball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
All membership fees and donations to both the Home Run Club and S Club (softball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern softball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Softball, follow @SLUlionsoftball on Twitter and Instagram, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
