HAMMOND, La. ? The University of South Alabama softball team split a doubleheader at Southeastern Louisiana Tuesday night at North Oak Park, winning game one 15-5 and losing the second by a score of 8-2.
GAME ONE: SOUTH ALABAMA 15, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 5
After two scoreless innings, junior Evelyne Pare led off the top of the third with a triple to left field. With one out, sophomore Corey Race singled down the right field line to plate Pare. Catcher Kristen Hayes then reached on an error by SELU and later scored on a double by freshman Katie McGuire. With two outs, freshman Carolina Mendoza drove in another run when she doubled down the left field line, scoring McGuire. After a Southeastern Louisiana pitching change, designated hitter Tara Donaldson reached on another error by the Lady Lions to bring in Mendoza and give USA a 4-0 lead.
SELU scored one run in the third and later tied the game in the fourth inning, scoring four runs on four hits. Michelle Lemons started things off in the fourth with a two-run single and Lady Lion catcher Carolann Wenisch tied the score with a two-run double to right centerfield.
The Jaguars answered back in the fifth and re-took the lead for good with a 10-run inning. Hayes led off the inning with a solo home run, before four more runs scored. With two outs and the bases loaded, SELU brought in its fourth pitcher of the game, who gave up a first-pitch grand slam to McGuire, giving the Jags a 14-5 lead. USA was able to score one more run before Southeastern recorded its third out. Two Lady Lions pitched in the inning, giving up a grand slam, a solo home run and five hits, while walking six batters and hitting one.
The game was called due to the 10-run rule after the Lady Lions were unable to score any runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Freshman Beth Pilgrim (2-0) earned the win, pitching a complete game and giving up five runs on 11 hits. She struck out four and only walked two batters. Jessica Sander (2-1) took the loss, giving up four runs on two hits and walking three of the nine batters she faced in 1.1 innings of work.
For the game, the Jaguars had four doubles, two triples and two home runs, including a grand slam.
GAME TWO: SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 8, SOUTH ALABAMA 2
The Lady Lions got on the board first in the second inning after a double by Arica Rodriquez plated Brooke Lockhart, who had reached earlier on a one-out single up the middle. In the third, the Lions added four more runs to increase their lead to 5-0. With one run already driven in in the inning and the bases loaded, Jag starting pitcher Amanda Leggett hit Lady Lion first baseman Rebecca De la Garza to bring in another run. Lockhart then hit a bloop single to score one more run and junior designated player Starr Newcomb drew a bases loaded walk to give Southeastern a 5-0 lead.
The Jags got on the board with a run in the fourth. Race was hit by a pitch and later scored on a RBI single by McGuire, but Southeastern Louisiana got the run right back in the bottom half of the inning on an South Alabama error to put SELU up, 6-1.
Two innings later, Southeastern’s Allyson McCubbins hit a two-run home run to left to add to the Lions' lead. The Jags fought hard in the seventh, but were only able to add one run to fell 8-2.
Leggett (0-1) took the loss for South Alabama, allowing six runs on nine hits, while striking out two and walking two. Jenna Yoder (2-1) earned the win, pitching four innings and giving up one run on three hits.
On the afternoon, McGuire was the hitting star for the Jaguar women, going 5-for-8 at the plate with six RBIs. Lemon led the way for the Lady Lions with a perfect 6-for-6 performance.
The Jaguars will return home for the Jaguar Classic Saturday and Sunday with the first game beginning at 9 a.m. USA’s first game is scheduled for 11 a.m.
