Softball: McNeese splits Friday doubleheader at Nicholls

THIBODAUX — McNeese softball split a doubleheader at Nicholls here Friday night with the Cowgirls opening the series with a 6-2 win before falling 1-0 in the second game of the doubleheader. The rubber game and the regular season finale will be at 1 p.m. Saturday.

McNeese (29-24, 17-8 SLC) picked up 10 hits in the opening game win and was held to four hits in the nightcap.

Four Cowgirls picked up two hits apiece in the opener. Haylee Brinlee and Kaylee Lopez continued their hot hitting with Brinlee collecting two doubles and two RBI. Lopez picked up one double and scored two runs. Also picking up two hits in the game was Jil Poullard and Toni Perrin.

The Cowgirls took a 4-0 lead in the fourth with a single run in the first and fourth and two in the third before Nicholls got on the board with two runs in the fifth. McNeese got those two runs back in the seventh.

Whitney Tate improved to 11-7 overall with the complete game victory. Tate all two unearned runs on eight hits.

McNeese took advantage of a Nicholls error that allowed Cori McCrary to score for a 1-0 first inning lead. RBI’s by Perrin and Seneca in the third inning extended the Cowgirl lead to 3-0. Brinlee scored on a Perrin’s fielder’s and Poullard scored on a ground out by Alayis Seneca.

A Brinlee double to left center scored McCrary for the 4-0 fourth inning lead.

Nicholls (11-27, 4-21) avoided the shutout by getting runs from Emma Holland and Kelsey Miller of RBI’s from Skylar Hamilton and Caitlin Garcia in the fifth.

The Cowgirls get the two runs back in the seventh when Poullard scored on an error and Aaliyah Ortiz’s RBI single up the middle that scored Perrin.

In the nightcap, Nicholls scored the only run of the game in the first inning with two outs. After a ground out and a strike out by Cowgirl starter Jenna Edwards, Nicholls picked up three straight hits including the RBI single to right field by Kennedy Hebert that scored Ashlyn Reavis.

McNeese’s hits, all singles came from Lopez, Poullard, Seneca, and Tayler Strother. Edwards fell to 7-2 on the year after allowing one run on seven hits in five innings.

Ashley Vallejo relieved Edwards in the sixth inning with runners on first and second and no outs. Vallejo held the Colonels on the bases as she stuck out the first batter she faced, got the next batter to fly out to center then struck out the side to send the Cowgirls into the dugout for the seventh inning.