LAKE CHARLES- McNeese softball completed its Southland Conference series sweep over Sam Houston State on Saturday with a 7-2, 3-0 doubleheader victory to open Southland Conference action.
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Erika Piancastelli continued where she left off on Friday by going 4 for 5 with two more homeruns runs Saturday along with four RBI.
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Hailey Drew was 3 for 4 in the first game and
Emily Vincent went 3 for 3 and picked up the game one win to improve to 7-1 on the year.
Rachel Smith was winner in game two, improving to 6-2 on the season.
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In the opening game, McNeese took an early 3-0 lead after two innings on the first of two Piancastelli home runs of the day. A RBI double by
Dakota Matiko scored Brianna Castro for the third McNeese run.
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Sam Houston State cut the Cowgirl lead to 3-2 by scoring two runs in the fifth but McNeese came back to score three runs in the bottom of the inning on four hits. A two run homer by Vincent and a RBI single by
Lauren Langner pushed the runs across the plate for a 6-2 lead. A Vincent RBI single up the middle in the sixth scored Matiko for the 7-2 lead.
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Vincent through a complete game, giving up four hits, struck out five and walked only one batter.
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McNeese didn't waste any time getting on the scoreboard in the second game with two runs in the first on a Piancastelli two-run homer, her second of the day and fourth of the series.
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Marisa Taunton scored the third Cowgirl run in the sixth on a fielder's choice by Langner for a 3-0 lead.
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Smith also picked up the complete game victory, giving up only two hits and struck out eight. Smith gave up a single in the third and then again in the sixth and allowed only one base runner to reach third.
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With the doubleheader win, McNeese improves to 16-6 overall and 3-0 in the SLC. The Cowgirls will travel to UTSA on Wednesday, March 11 for a non-conference single game. McNeese will return to conference action with at three game series at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi next weekend. A 3 p.m. game is scheduled for Friday with a doubleheader set for noon on Saturday. Â
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