LAKE CHARLES—McNeese softball fell 9-5 to Houston Wednesday night in a game that consisted of 24 hits between the two teams.
 
Houston (16-5) scored two runs in the first inning for the quick lead before Cowgirl pinch hitter Jada Muñoz cut the lead in half with her first career homerun, a solo homer over the centerfield wall in the bottom of the second inning to cut the lead to 2-1.
 
Houston added three runs in the third and three more in the fourth while McNeese scored two runs in the third to trail 8-3.  Three of Houston's runs in the third inning including a two RBI homerun by Turiya Coleman. The Cougars got three more runs on three hits in the fourth.
 
A two RBI double to centerfield by Corine Poncho brought Crislyne Moreno and Reese Reyna home for the Cowgirls' second and third runs of the game.
 
Houston extended its lead to 9-3 in the fifth.  McNeese got the run back in the sixth on a Samantha Mundine single and Corine Poncho led the bottom of the seventh off with a solo homerun to left, her ninth of the season.  
 
Poncho led McNeese with three hits on the night while Mundine and Reyna both picked up two hits apiece.
 
The Cowgirls used four pitchers on the night.  Starter Shaelyn Sanders took the loss to fall to 4-5 on the season.  Sanders allowed five runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked two.
 
The loss is the sixth straight for McNeese who falls to 12-10 on the year.  McNeese will return to Cowgirl Diamond on Friday to host UL-Monroe in a three-game series beginning with a doubleheader at 4 p.m. Friday.
 
McNEESE NOTES
• With the loss, McNeese and Houston split games this season- each winning at the opposing team
• McNeese collected 11 hits, the fifth game collecting 10 or more hits
• The 11 hits are the third most in a game this season for the Cowgirls
• Corine Poncho led the Cowgirls with three hits, going 3 for 4 on the night with three RBI
• Reese Reyna and Samantha Mundine both collected two hits apiece
• Sophomore Jada Muñoz hit her first career homerun in the second inning
• Freshman Bella Perez saw her first collegiate action behind the plate and picked up her first collegiate hit, a one out single to left center in the seventh  
• McNeese had three extra base hits including homeruns by Corine Poncho and Muñoz
• Poncho's homerun was her team leading ninth of the season