McNeese Softball takes series from NW State with DH win

Staff Reports

The Contraband

Everything was clicking for the McNeese softball team Saturday as the Cowgirls salvaged the weekend with an 11-3, 14-2 (5 inn.) doubleheader win over Northwestern State to take the series 2-1 to remain atop the league standings with a 30-10 overall record and a 15-3 conference record.

After picking up 10 hits in Friday’s 9-8, eight-inning loss, McNeese picked up a combined 24 hits and scored 25 runs Saturday.

Senior Emily Vincent ended the day going 6 for 8 at the plate with six RBI and scored two runs without striking out. Morgan Catron was 5 for 8 with three RBI and scored four runs.

For the second game in a row, Northwestern State took the early lead with a run in the first inning of the first game of the doubleheader off a solo home run by Micayla Sorosiak. Sorisiak was the hero in Friday night’s win with her walk off home run in the eighth.

Unlike Friday’s game when the Cowgirls didn’t score until the fifth inning, it didn’t take long for McNeese to tie the game at one apiece in the second inning on a RBI sacrifice bunt by Taylor Goree.

The Cowgirls broke the game open with seven run in the fourth, six of which came with two outs to take an 8-1 lead.

Shanice Hagler’s sacrifice fly gave McNeese a 2-1 lead on a sacrifice fly. Two more runs would come off a single by Marisa Taunton and a wild pitch for a 4-1 lead. McNeese strung together five straight hits including doubles from Tori Yanitor and Vincent that pushed three more runs across the plate to extend the McNeese lead to 8-1.

Northwestern scored added a run in the bottom of the inning when a ball went into the NSU dugout after it flew out of Hagler’s glove at third base trying to make a play, allowing the run to come home.

McNeese scored single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings that was highlighted by a leadoff solo home run by Vincent in the sixth to extend the lead to 10-2. The long ball was Vincent’s fifth of the season.

The Demons avoided being run-ruled in the bottom of the sixth with a run coming off a Brittney Jones single.

Vincent led the Cowgirls’ 11-hit attack with three hits, two RBI and scored two runs. Drew and Catron both collected two hits apiece. Piancastelli was walked all five times, giving her 46 on the season, one shy of tying the single season record.

Jamie Allred improved to 10-2 on the year with the complete game that gave her 62nd career victory, six shy of the school record. Allred gave up three runs on eight hits and struck out six while walking five.

The Cowgirls began the rubber game with a run in the first inning off a Drew sacrifice fly that scored Taunton for a 1-0 lead.

The Lady Demons took a 2-1 lead in the third inning when Natalie Landry’s two RBI home run hit the scoreboard in right field to give NW State the lead.

Just like in the opening game, it took McNeese one inning to break the game open by scoring nine runs on seven hits in the fourth inning for a 10-2 lead.

Vincent accounted for two of the seven hits and three RBI’s in the inning with a single early in the inning and then her two RBI home run scored the final two Cowgirl runs of the inning. The home run is Vincent’s second of the day and sixth of the season.

Pitcher Rachel Smith helped her caused by knocking in a run as did Taunton with the bases loaded followed by a run after Drew was hit by a pitch. Morgan Catron ‘s double down the third base line also scored a run.

McNeese scored four more runs in the fifth inning to extend its lead to 14-2. Drew picked up two more RBI with a single to right center and a sacrifice fly by Yanitor and a single by Vincent gave the Cowgirls a 14-2 lead.

Smith improved to 7-2 after giving up two runs on four hits in three innings of work. Vincent threw the final two innings and gave up two hits.

Catron and Vincent led the Cowgirls with three hits in the second game. Vincent also had four RBI, as did Drew.

Erika Piancastelli didn’t get any chances to hit today as the Demons walked her every at bat to total nine walks on the day that gave her the season record with her 48th of the season in the second game. After being walked two more times after that, Piancastelli has been walked 50 times this season.

The Cowgirls will host fifth ranked UL-Lafayette in a single game at 6 p.n. Wednesday.