Softball: McNeese opens UIW series with 14-6 win

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – McNeese softball scored a season high 14 runs, recorded a season high 13 RBI, and tied its season high with 13 hits in its Southland Conference series opening 14-6 rain delayed win over Incarnate Word Friday night.

With the win, McNeese improves to 24-21 overall and 13-6 in league play. The loss drops UIW to 14-21 on the year and 7-12 in the SLC.

The teams were scheduled to play a doubleheader tonight but due to the rain delay, a doubleheader will be played Saturday beginning at noon.

Cori McCrary and Chloe Gomez led McNeese on the night with both players going 3-for-4 while Jil Poullard tied an individual season high with six RBI. The six RBI’s is a career high for the freshman and is one shy of tying the school record. Poullard hit her fourth home run of the season and scored three runs. McCrary scored four runs and added two RBI while Gomez had one RBI and scored one run.

Ashley Vallejo evened her record on the year at 6-6 with the win in relief of starter Jenna Edwards. Vallejo only allowed one run on four hits with three strike outs and didn’t allow a walk in four innings of work.

The game went back and forth game for the first five inning with the lead trading hands a few times. The Cowgirls busted the game open with six runs in the sixth inning then tacked on three more in the seventh.

For the second straight game, the Cowgirls picked up 13 hits. The Cowgirls picked up a season high 13 hits also in the win at UTSA Wednesday night.

McNees took and early 4-0 lead with two runs in the first and two in the top of the third. McCrary led the game off with a single then she and Poullard scored on an error for an early 2-0 lead. Poullard’s two run home run in the third inning put the Cowgirls up 4-0.

UIW scored five runs on five hits in the bottom of the third inning including back-to-back home runs by and C. Esteves and Maddie Boldt. Abby Frank got the Cardinals on the board with a RBI single to right field then Esteves tied the game at four apiece with a three-run home run. Boldt then gave UIW the 5-4 lead on her solo home run.

The UIW lead didn’t last long as the Cowgirls retook the lead with two runs on three hits. Tiffany Steczo’s double to right center field scored Alayis Seneca all the way from first to tie the game at five apiece. A single to center field by Gomez scored pinch runner Tayler Strother for a 6-5 McNeese lead.

McNeese added another run in the fifth inning to extend the lead to 7-5. Pinch runner Padyn Williams came home via a Cardinal error.

Prior to the bottom of the fifth, the game was delayed due to rain for nearly two hours.

The delay didn’t seem to bother either team as UIW scored a run in its first at bat following the delay. Boldt hit her second solo home run of the game with two outs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the McNeese lead to 7-6.

McNeese responded with four runs on four hits and took advantage of a UIW error in the top of the sixth inning to extend its lead to 11-6.

The Cowgirls continued to put pressure on the Cardinals both at the plate and on the base paths in the top of the seventh. McNeese tacked three more runs off two hits to take a 14-6 lead.

UIW threatened to score in the bottom of the seventh inning but Vallejo struck out the side with the bases loaded to end the game.