McNeese Softball completes series sweep over Sam Houston State with two more run-rule wins

Staff Reports

The Contraband

The McNeese softball team picked up where they left off Friday night and completed its Southland Conference opening series sweep over Sam Houston State Saturday with two more run-rule wins to improve to 16-5 overall and 3-0 in the SLC.

McNeese opened the series with a 10-1, six-inning win on Friday and followed that with a 12-4 six-inning win in the first game of the doubleheader Saturday. McNeese completed the series sweep with its third run-rule game of the series by winning the final game 11-1 in five innings.

The Cowgirls kept the hot bats swinging Saturday and scored 23 runs on 23 hits including four home runs while the pitching staff only allowed only five runs to score.

In the opening game Saturday both teams picked up 11 hits apiece. Taylor Goree led the Cowgirls with three hits while Erika Piancastelli had four RBI’s with three coming from a three RBI home run. Rachel Smith contributed in the circle and at the plate for the Cowgirls. Smith went 2-for-4 including a two run home run and scored three runs. In the circle, Smith gave up three earned runs on eight hits, struck out six and walked one in five complete innings to improve to 4-1 on the season.

After two scoreless innings, McNeese scored five runs on three hits and capitalized on three SHSU errors in the third inning. McNeese started the inning with back-to-back singles by Smith and Shelbi Strickland. An error by SHSU allowed Smith to score for a 1-0 Cowgirl lead. Piancastelli cleared the bases with her three-run home run to centerfield for a 3-0 lead. The home run was Piancastelli’s second of the series and eighth of the season. The final run of the inning came from a RBI by Emily Vincent.

Two more runs by the Cowgirls in the fourth extended their lead to 7-0. Sam Houston St. got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning off a solo home run by Ashely Goetz.

McNeese got two more runs in the fifth off Smith’s third career home run that gave the Cowgirls a 9-1 lead. Sam Houston State got a two run home run from Breanna
Homer in the bottom of the inning but McNeese got those runs back plus one more in the sixth. The Cowgirls would allow only on run in the bottom of the inning to pick up their second run-rule win over Sam Houston State for the second straight game.

In the nightcap, McNeese picked up 12 hits with three players collecting multiple hits.

Just like in the first game, neither team scored any runs in the first two innings. McNeese took a 3-0 lead in the third on Piancastelli’s second three RBI home run of the day and ninth home run this season. The Cowgirls opened up a 5-0 lead with two more runs in the fourth. Sam Houston scored their lone run in the fourth. The Cowgirls exploded for six runs on five hits including a two RBI home run from Hailey Drew, her first of the season and a double by Piancastelli.

Piancastelli ended the game with her second four RBI game of the day and was one of four players to pick up two hits.

Jamie Allred improved to 6-1 on the season with the complete game win. Allred gave up three hits, one earned run and struck out six in the win.

McNeese will travel to nationally ranked UL-Lafayette on Wednesday for a single game beginning at 6 p.m.