MOBILE, Ala. – The reigning Southland Conference Tournament champion Southeastern Louisiana University softball team collected 17 hits on the way to a 13-2 victory over South Alabama in nonconference softball action Wednesday night at Jaguar Field.
In a battle of two teams that advanced to the NCAA Regional a season ago, Southeastern (9-3) broke open a close game with a nine-run seventh inning on the way to its seventh straight win. SLU pitchers
Hallie Burns (3-2) and
Britney Lewinski combined to hold the host Jaguars (5-6) to four hits in the win.
Maria Detillier and
Cydnee Schneider led SLU's offensive onslaught with three hits apiece, while
Chloe Magee,
Maddie Watson and
Colleen Kulivan added two hits each. Detillier led SLU with three runs scored, while Schneider and
Addison Contorno each drove in two runs.
Burns and USA starter Ryley Harrison (3-2) matched zeroes until SLU broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning. After a single by Schneider, Watson sliced a triple into the right field corner to put the Lady Lions on the board.
Kailey Dixon then beat out an infield single to plate Watson and give Southeastern a 2-0 advantage.
South Alabama managed their first hit in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Amity White led off the frame with a single, then moved to second when Gabby Stagner walked to put a pair of runners on with no outs. Burns was unfazed, retiring the next three Jaguars to keep USA off the board.
SLU added to its lead in the top of the fifth inning. Singles by
Shenita Tucker and Detillier put a pair of runners on with one out. After Tucker was thrown out at home on a
Brilee Ford grounder, Schneider beat out an infield single to score Detillier and the throw to first to attempt to retire Schneider was wide, allowing Ford to come home as well and putting the Lady Lions ahead, 4-0.
South Alabama got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Caitlyn Gavin and Ansleigh Smith led off the frame with consecutive triples. Smith would come in to score on a sacrifice fly by Pressly Lively to cut the SLU lead to 4-2.
SLU ruined any chance of a South Alabama comeback in the top of the seventh inning, as Detillier led off the inning with a triple and scored on an RBI single by Schneider. After singles by Watson and Kulivan loaded the bases, Contorno singled home a pair or runs.
Shelby Morris then singled home Contorno and Kulivan to stretch the Southeastern lead to 9-2.
After a
Mykail Lusco walk, Magee hit a sharp singled up the middle to score Morris. Detillier reached on an error to force in another run, then
Brilee Ford doubled home two more runs to cap a nine-run frame that saw SLU send 13 to the plate and take a 13-2 lead.
Lewinski struck out a pair in a scoreless seventh to secure the victory and close out her first save as a Lady Lion.
Southeastern will next travel to the JoAnne Graf Classic, hosted by No. 8 Florida State. The Lady Lions will face FSU (8-1) in a 2 p.m. doubleheader Friday on ACC Network+. SLU takes on Florida A&M (1-4) in a 9 a.m. doubleheader Saturday, before closing the tournament with a 9 a.m. contest versus No. 7 Texas A&M (10-1) Sunday.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Softball, follow @LionUpSoftball on X and Instagram, like /SLUathletics on Facebook.
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.
TICKETS
For ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit
www.LionSports.net/tickets. Southeastern offers mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets. All tickets will be available via e-mail in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics has a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit
www.LionSports.net/clear.
