LAKE CHARLES—
Kaylee Lopez went 4 for 6 here Friday to lead McNeese softball to a 6-0 win over Texas Southern and a 6-5 win over UTSA on the first day of the Cowgirl Classic II.
The tournament will conclude Saturday with three more games. UTSA and Texas Southern will start Saturday's action at 12 p.m. followed by McNeese and UTSA at 2:30 p.m. before McNeese and Texas Southern at 5 p.m. to conclude tournament play.
The Cowgirls picked up 15 hits on the day including eight extra base hits and a homerun from
Haylee Brinlee.
McNeese (5-12) used three innings to score all the runs needed to defeat Texas Southern (1-6). The Cowgirls scored a single run in the third on an RBI by
Caleigh Cross for the early lead. McNeese added three more runs in the fourth on an RBI single by Lopez and Brinlee's two run homerun.
Brinlee picked up another RBI in the sixth with a sacrifice fly and
Adriana Ramirez's double down the left field line brought another run home. Brinlee ended the game with three RBI and started a double play in the fourth inning to keep the Tigers scoreless.
Saleen Flores and
Jenna Edwards combined for a four-hit shutout. Flores picked up the win to improve to 3-3 on the year. She allowed only three hits and four walks in five innings of work. Flores struck out six batters including three of the first four batters she faced. Edwards gave up one hit, struck out three in two innings.
In the nightcap, McNeese jumped out to a 6-0 lead after four innings, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Caylon Brabham's double to right center scored Lopez for a 1-0 lead. Two more runs on a UTSA error and a
Kennedy Reynolds ground out.
A single by
Chloe Gomez in the third inning extended the McNeese lead to 4-0 then back-to-back doubles by
Cori McCrary and Lopez added two more runs to put the Cowgirls up 6-0.
UTSA (5-3) rallied back to make the game interesting in the fifth inning by cutting the lead to 6-4 on a grand slam to centerfield by Riley Grunberg.
Following a Cowgirl pitching change that brought Edward into the game to relieve starter
Ashley Vallejo, Edwards gave up a first pitch solo homerun to Kindell Brooks to bring the Roadrunners to within one run, 6-5. Edwards settled in and struck out three of the next four batters in the inning then started the seventh by getting a fly out, a strikeout before giving up a walk. Jones then got Madison Washington to fly out to right field to end the game.
Vallejo picked up her first collegiate win, going five innings and giving up two hits and struck out seven. Edwards picked up her third save of the season, allowing two hits, one walk and struck out four in two innings.
Lopez picked up her other two hits on the day including a double in the fourth.
SATURDAY
Noon- Texas Southern vs. UTSA
2:30 p.m.- McNeese vs. UTSA
5 p.m.- McNeese vs. Texas Southern