LAKE CHARLES—Junior Ryan Schexnayder retired the final four batters she faced and allowed one hit in the final two innings in a 5-4 McNeese softball win over UL-Lafayette Tuesday night. The win snapped a six-game losing streak against the Cajuns and was the first win over the Cajuns in Lake Charles since its 6-5 (13 inning) win in 2022.
McNeese improves to 18-13 overall while the Cajuns fall to 14-13.
Both teams ended the game with eight hits apiece with the Cowgirls having two extra base hits and the Cajuns on extra base hits. McNeese stranded 11 on the base paths and the Cajuns stranded four.
Kassidy Chance,
Samantha Mundine, and
Nyjah Fontenot all had two hits apiece with Fontenot picking up her sixth double of the season.
Kadence Williams improved to 4-4 on the season with the win. Williams allowed four runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Maddie Taylor allowed one hit in 2/3 innings and Schexnayder tossed two shutout innings and allowed one hit.
Sam Ryan picked up the loss to fall to 3-4 on the year.
The Cajuns took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Cecillia Vasquz sacrifice fly that scored Maddie Hayden.
McNeese tied the game on a
Nyjah Fontenot single that brought Mundine across the plate. Mundine single to left for the first of eight Cowgirl hits in the game.
A four run second inning by McNeese pushed its lead to 5-1. The Cowgirls also took advantage of two Cajun errors and a two RBI double by
Nyjah Fontenot.
McNeese missed a golden opportunity to tack on more runs in the fourth but left the bases juiced after a two out double by
Rylie Bouvier and walks by
Reese Reyna and
Brylie Fontenot. A pop fly to second base ended the threat.
The Cajuns made things interesting in the fifth by scoring three runs to pull to within one run. A tripled by Hayden scored two runs and an infield single by Kayla Falterman scored Hayden with one out.
Maddie Taylor got Vasquez to line into a double play to end the top half of the inning.
The Cajuns had the tying run on third with one out in the sixth but Schexnyder, who relieved Taylor with no outs got Mia Liscano to pop out to Bouvier. Schexnayder walked the next batter to put runners on second and third but got Mia Norwood to ground out into a double play to get out of the game for the second straight inning.
Schexnayder got the Cajuns out in order in the seventh inning with a ground out to first for the first out and two fly outs for the second and third outs to end the game.
The Cowgirls will remain home for a Southland Conference series against Nicholls that will begin with a single game at 6 p.m. this Friday.
