May 3, 2008

Box Score

LAKE CHARLES-- McNeese State's softball team split a Southland Conference doubleheader here Saturday with Texas State, the regular season champs. Texas State won the opening game 2-0 of the doubleheader and the Cowgirls held on for a 7-6 win in the nightcap. The victory improves the Cowgirls to 22-34 overall and 15-13 in league play and Texas State falls to 34-17 overall and 24-5 in league play.

Texas State took a 2-0 first inning lead in game one when Ryan Kos walked, advanced to second on a Alex Newton single and went to third on a single by McKenzie Baack. Kos scored on the throw down to second was cut off in an attempt to get Baack out. Baack scored the other run on a RBI double by Leah Boatright.

McNeese State had a couple of several chances to score but just couldn't push any runs across the plate. McNeese left 11 base runners stranded with two runners stranded in four innings.

Megan Blake picked up the complete game victory for Texas State to improve to 19-10. Blake gave up five hits, walked six and struck out seven.

Bethany Stefinsky picked up the Cowgirl loss to fall to 8-11. Stefinsky's outing was just as impressive as she pitched a complete game also. Stefinsky also gave up five hits, walked two and struck out four.

Lindsey Langner led the Cowgirls with two hits in four plate appearances.

In the nightcap, Texas State scored a single run in the first on a Cowgirl error to take an early 1-0 lead. McNeese State took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning with two runs on one hit. Lindsey Langner led the game off with a single, Liz Morvant walked and the Cowgirls scored both runs on a Texas State error.

McNeese added two more runs in the fourth on four hits to take a 4-1 lead. Molly Long singled, Megan Beard doubled and Rachel King singled. Ling scored on King's single and Beard later scored on a error.

McNeese extended its lead to 7-1 in the fifth with three runs on four hits. Back to back singles by Jenny Clay and Long put runners at first and second. King loaded the bases with a walk. Clay scored on a RBI single by Guidry, King and Long scored on a two RBI single by Whitney Corbello.

Texas State added a single run in the sixth to cut the Cowgirl lead 7-2 on a RBI ground out by pinch hitter Taylor Hall that scored Alex Newton. The Bobcats weren't done as they made the game interesting in the seventh with four runs on one hit. After a sacrifice fly by Newton that scored pinch hitter Kristina Tello, Baack hit a two out three run homer to cut the lead Cowgirl lead to 7-6. Cowgirl reliever Candace Duhon got Boatright to ground out to short to end the game.

Michille LaVoie picked up the victory to improve to 10-12 overall. LaVoie gave up six hits and struck out one in 6 2/3 innings.

Elizabeth Dennis took the loss for Texas State to fall to 3-2 on the year. Dennis gave up four runs on five hits with three strikeouts.

Long led the Cowgirls with three hits and Langner and Corbello both had two apiece. Beard, Guidry and Corbello all led the Cowgirls with two RBI's each.

The series will conclude with a 1 p.m. rubber game Sunday. A victory would give the Cowgirls the no. 5 seed and a loss would give the Cowgirls the sixth seed.

Seniors Carmen Sittig, Jenny Clay and Megan Beard will be honored following the game.