Offense guides LSUE to Saturday sweep at Mardi Gras Invitational

YOUNGSVILLE, La – LSU Eunice Softball showed possibly a sign of what’s to come with the Bengal bats guiding the team to a pair of Saturday victories to close out the Mardi Gras Invitational at the Youngsville Sports Complex. The Bengals (4-2) combined for 21 hits and 18 runs in the wins.

LSUE dug itself out of a hole late and used a four-run ninth inning to take a 6-2 extra inning game over Bishop State to start the game, followed by a 12-9 slugfest win over East Central.

The Bengals will be on the Cajun Prairie on Monday as LSU Eunice welcomes Kilgore College to town for a 3:00PM doubleheader.

Game 1 vs. Bishop State Community College – W, 6-2
Katie Salling provided a back breaking home run in extra innings to deliver LSU Eunice a 6-2 win over Bishop State in nine innings. The Bengals rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the sixth inning to complete the come-from-behind victory.

The two teams went back-and-forth early as they traded runs in the second and third innings. After Bishop State struck first, Taylor Palmer bunted home Sina Ballew to knot it up. The Wildcats would regain the lead in the bottom half of the inning, capitalizing on one of two LSUE errors.

The Bengals finally break Bishop State in the ninth with a runner placed on second in extra inning. Katie Salling would lift a one-out two-run home run to give LSUE its first lead of the game. The Bengals would then string together two straight hits with an error on a Maci Baldwin fly ball plating two more runs.

Chloe Bennett would come in relief to strikeout the side in the bottom half of the inning to pick up the win.

Salling joined Sara Roussel and Mari Baldwin with multi-hit games in LSUE’s 8-hit output.

Game 2 vs. East Central Community College – W, 12-9
The Bengals offense would come alive to score in every inning as LSU Eunice outlasted East Central 12-9 to close out the Mardi Gras Invitational.

LSUE found itself in a five run hole as the Warriors struck for a big first inning off a two-run home run and a pair of run scoring doubles. The Bengals would fight back in style using a Katie Salling two-run blast of her own, her third of the weekend, to make it 5-2 after one inning.

The Bengals would knot it up an inning later as Sara Roussel and Maddie Chretien would drive in runs. Kaitlyn Savant gave LSUE the lead in the third thanks to an ECCC error before Skylar Cheek padded the advantage with a RBI single.

The offensive showcase continued in the fourth as ECCC temporarily tied it up with a two run double, but not before LSUE struck for another three run frame. Madison Prejean helped LSUE regain the lead for good with a RBI double. Kaitlyn Savant and Sara Roussel would each have a hand in bringing in a run.

The Bengals extended their lead to 12-7 before giving up a pair of seventh inning solo home runs.

Roussel led LSUE with a three-hit game, scoring three runs and driving in one. Chretien and Prejean also tallied multi-hit games in LSUE’s 13-hit attack.

Chloe Bennett would grab the win, going 6.1 innings in relief. Bennett scattered four earned runs off seven hits and a walk while striking out nine batters.