LAKE CHARLES, La. -- The ULM softball team (16-8) dropped the first two games of its series versus McNeese (14-10) on Friday (March 8).
Game One - McNeese 3, ULM 1
Lourdes Bacon singled to third base and
Carys Platt followed with a single on a bunt. Bacon moved to third on a throwing error by McNeese. After Platt was caught stealing,
Andie Edwards drew a walk and added another runner for ULM. The Cowgirls kept ULM off the scoreboard in the opening inning after recording outs on a SAC bunt and a strikeout. The Cowgirls plated a run in the bottom of the first. With two outs in the second,
Madison Blount,
Taylor Broddick and Bacon all walked to load the bases. McNeese again escaped the jam after swapping pitchers and led 1-0 after 1.5 innings of play. The Cowgirls added another run in the bottom of the second.
After a scoreless third,
Brooklin Lippert singled to lead off the fourth and scored with two outs from a Cowgirls' error. The Cowgirls had runners at first and second with two outs when
Victoria Abrams recorded a strikeout that kept ULM within one run. The Warhawks went down in order in the fifth, and McNeese added a run in the fifth. Lippert and
Maryssa Zenzen both singled in the sixth and Abrams recorded three groundouts in the bottom half of the inning. Platt and
Meagan Brown singled in the seventh to bring the go-ahead run at the plate. McNeese ended the game with a fielder's choice and won game one, 3-1.
Platt and Lippert both finished with a pair of hits and Bacon,
Meagan Brown and Zenzen all added one hit apiece. Abrams completed 6.0 innings of work and allowed four hits and three earned runs, striking out one.
Game Two - McNeese 2 ULM 1 (9 inn.)
Bacon walked to start the game and moved all the way to third base after stealing second and a McNeese wild pitch. ULM scored the first run of the game in the top of the second after
Kassidy Giddens singled with two outs and
Jacelyn Buck doubled her home. McNeese evened the score at 1-1 in the bottom half of the second.
Bacon singled in her second at bat to start the third and advanced to second with one out. The Cowgirls forced ULM to groundout into a pair of fielder's choices to end the inning.
Maddie Nichols struck out a Cowgirl to end the third and the score remained 1-1. Zenzen walked and Lippert singled to lead off the fourth, but McNeese held the Warhawks scoreless. Nichols struck out the side in the fourth, and the game moved to the fifth in a 1-1 tie.
Platt, Edwards and
Meagan Brown all singled in the fifth, while Buck walked in the sixth. ULM was unable to push any runs across. The Cowgirls loaded the bases with one out in the sixth and Nichols induced a groundout that kept the score at 1-1 heading to the seventh. Bacon and Platt singled in the seventh, but were left on base. The Cowgirls threatened with two runners in the bottom of the seventh. Nichols fired a strikeout and a fly out and the game moved into extra innings.
After both teams went down in order in the eighth, Bacon and Platt again singled in the ninth. The Warhawks were called out for interference that ended the inning with a double play. McNeese managed to score the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth and won the extra-innings game.
Bacon and Platt all finished with three hits each and Buck had the only extra base hit for ULM. Nichols went the distance and struck out eight batters over 8.1 innings.
The ULM softball team will wrap up its series at McNeese Saturday at 1 p.m.
