Late rally pushes top-seed McNeese to championship game with 6-2 win over second-seed Southeastern

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Top seed McNeese advanced to the championship game of the 2023 Southland Conference Softball Championship with a 6-2 win over second seed Southeastern late Thursday.

The Cowgirls move to 43-14 on the season and will have Friday off before playing in the championship game at Noon on Saturday. The Lady Lions are now 46-13 overall and the winner of the Nicholls/Lamar game at 1:30 p.m. Friday in an elimination game. This marks McNeese’s 11th trip to the championship game.

Southeastern hit the scoreboard in the second inning, as Maddie Leal hit a single up the middle to plate Madison Rayner as SLU reached base four consecutive times with two outs. The Lady Lions left the bases full to end the inning.

McNeese took the lead in the third on an RBI single by Chloe Gomez and a bases loaded walk by Mariana Torres, giving the hosts the 2-1 advantage.

The Lady Lions tied the game up in the top of the sixth, as Ka’Lyn Watson tripled to the right-center gap to plate Audrey Greely, who had reached on a bunt single.

Torres led off the bottom of the sixth with a double to kick off the decisive rally for the Cowgirls. She advanced to third on a fly out and scored on an infield single to give McNeese the 3-2 lead. Alayis Seneca pushed the lead with a hard-hit two-run triple and scored on Reese Reyna’s single to make it a 6-2 advantage.

SLC Player of the Year Bailey Krolczyk singled for Southeastern in the top of the seventh, but they could not mount a rally, and dropped to the bottom bracket.

For McNeese, pitcher Ashley Vallejo went the distance to move to 17-8, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Seneca finished the night going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Reyna and Torres each had two hits.

For Southeastern, Cera Blanchard was tagged with the loss to fall to 17-7, allowing four earned runs in 3.2 innings of relief on four hits, three walks, and two strikeouts. Starter MC Comeaux allowed two earned runs on five hits in 2.1 innings. Watson went 2-for-2 with an RBI as the only Lady Lion with multiple hits on the night.