McNeese opens SLC action with softball doubleheader win over Incarnate Word

LAKE CHARLES — McNeese softball (10-13, 2-0 SLC) began its Southland Conference opening weekend by clinching the series against Incarnate Word (2-17, 0-2 SLC) with a doubleheader victory by scores of 7-2 and 7-1 on Friday night.

The series will conclude with a single game at noon Saturday. Saturday is also Alumni Day and all McNeese softball alumni will receive up to two free tickets.

Also, McNeese will retire the #16 jersey of Erika Piancastelli, a two-time All-American and four-time Southland Conference Player and Hitter of the Year. Piancastelli the most prolific player to ever wear a softball jersey and one of the best athletes McNeese has ever had in any sport, left her mark not only in the McNeese record books but also the conference and NCAA.

She ended her career with 19 records to her name including 12 combined career records (McNeese-7 & SLC-5), seven single season records (McNeese 5, SLC-2). In her senior season alone, she broke four Southland Conference records and tied the McNeese single season homerun record of 22, a record she broke twice previously in her career.

To top all these accolades off, she became one of only the third student-athlete to earn SLC Player and Hitter of the Year four consecutive times in any sport.

GAME 1 (McNeese 7, UIW 2)
1st Inning- McNeese got on the board first with an RBI single to left center by Kaylee Lopez that scored Justyce McClain (McN 1, UIW 0)
2nd Inning- UIW tied the game one apiece with a solo homerun (McN 1, UIW 1)
McNeese added two more runs in the bottom of the inning with runs by Sara Geier and Tayler Strother (McN 3, UIW 1)
3rd Inning- A three run third inning on doubles by Alexandria Saldivar and Brenique Wright started the inning then Wright stole home for a run and Strother single to left for another run (McN 6, UIW 1 )
6th Inning- UIW got their second run of the game off its second solo homerun of the game
McNeese scored a run on an RBI single up the middle by Alexandria Saldivar (McN 7, UIW 2)

NOTES:
– Cowgirls picked up 14 hits
– Every McNeese starter picked up at least one hit in the game
– Five Cowgirls picked up at least two hits apiece (McClain, McCrary, Saldivar, Lopez, Geier)
– Cowgirls stole eight bases, Sara Geier and Tayler Strother had two each
– Cowgirls hit three doubles (Saldivar, Lopez, Wright)
– Cowgirl pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts
– Amber Coons recorded a season high eight strikeouts and improved to 3-1 on the year with the win
– Cowgirls reliever Saleen Flores replaced Coons in the top of the sixth and gave up a solo homerun to the first batter she faced then struck out the next six batters she faced

GAME 2 (McNeese 7, UIW 1)
1st Inning- McNeese take a 2-0 lead on a RBI single to the shortstop by Alayis Seneca who beat out the throw. The other run came when Seneca scored on a throw to second base trying to get Cori McCrary stealing. (McN 2, UIW 0).
3rd Inning- A triple off the right centerfield wall by Cori McCrary scored Alayis Seneca for the first run of the inning. McCrary came home on a throw in an attempt to throw her out at third base. (McN 4, UIW 0)
5th Inning- UIW got on the board with a single run.
McNeese extended its lead with a three-run homer to left centerfield by Brenique Wright, her second home run of the season (McN 7, UIW 1).

NOTES:
– For the second straight game, the Cowgirls picked up 10 or more hits (11)
– McCrary led McNeese at the plate, going 3 for 3 with 1 RBI and scored two runs
– McClain, Seneca, and Wright all had two hits apiece
– The Cowgirls had three extra base hits in the game (double by Demi Boudreaux, triple by McCrary, three run home run by Wright)
– Cowgirls stole five bases in the game bringing their total to 13 on the day
– McClain moved into third place in McNeese career stolen bases with one steal, bringing her total to 71
– McClain also moved into fourth place in McNeese career runs scored with a run, giving her 136 runs scored.
– Junior Alexsandra Flores picked up the win to improve to 5-5 on the year. Flores retired the first 12 batters she faced before allowing a runner to reach base via a hit by pitch. She allowed five hits, two strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter.