LAKE CHARLES—For the second time in the last three years, McNeese softball opened the conference race by winning its first 10 games with an 8-0 (5 inn.) win over Northwestern State here Friday night in the opening game of the three game series. The series will conclude with a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday.
 
McNeese (24-11, 10-0 SLC) took advantage of eight free passes and three Lady Demon (13-21-1, 3-7 SLC) errors to take a 5-0 lead after the third inning.
 
The Cowgirls scored single runs in the first and second on a bases loaded in the first inning by Tori Yanitor that scored Hailey Drew for a 1-0 lead. Drew led the game off by reaching first after being hit by a pitch. The Cowgirls missed a chance to tack on more runs in the inning after leaving the bases loaded.
 
Erika Piancastelli's sacrifice fly to right brought JaMaiya Miller home for a 2-0 lead. Like Drew in the first inning, Miller reached base after also being hit by a pitch.
 
The Cowgirls took advantage of three Northwestern State errors in the third inning to score three runs on just one hit to extend its lead to 5-0. Taylor Schmidt picked up the first McNeese hit of the game with a single to short.
 
Two more Cowgirls crossed home plate in the fourth inning behind three hits for a 7-0 lead before Justyce McClain single through the left side to extend her hitting streak to 13 games. A double to left centerfield by Piancastelli scored McClain to end the game for the run-rule victory.
 
The shutout win is the seventh of the season for McNeese and the fourth conference shutout win this season.
 
Senior Rachel Smith threw another gem in the circle to pick up her third straight win and improved to 8-5. Smith opened the game by throwing five pitches in the first inning and got the first two Lady Demons out on two pitches. She struck out three, gave up two hits without giving up a walk.
 
Six different Cowgirls picked up one hit with Piancastelli's double being the only extra base hit in the game.
 
Kaylee Isenburg and Adele Vincent picked up the hits for Northwestern State. Starter Katelyn Boles took the loss to fall to 4-9. Boles didn't give up a hit but gave up three runs on six walks and one strikeout in two innings. Reliever Hayley Barbazon gave up five runs on six hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings.