SAN ANTONIO, Texas---  McNeese softball picked up a 6-3 rubber game win over Incarnate Word Saturday to clinch the series 2-1. Earlier in the day, the Cowgirls dropped a 1-0 (10 inning) game in the first game of the Saturday's doubleheader.
 
With the win, McNeese improves to 23-15 overall and 9-3 in the SLC.  The loss drops UIW to 17-14 overall and 7-5 in the SLC.
 
Nyjah Fontenot and Rylie Bouvier led the Cowgirls on the day with two hits apiece while Samantha Mundine ended the day with three hits.  Both Fontenot and Mundine had one double apiece.
 
Maddie Taylor was on both ends of the decisions in the doubleheader, picking up the loss in the opening game but bounced back to pick up the win in the nightcap to improve to 9-6 on the year.
 
In the loss, Taylor allowed one hit, one run on 0.1 innings.  She returned to the mound in the second game to pick up the win after allowing one run on three hits in 6.0 innings.
 
The first game of the doubleheader was pitcher's dual and a game where the Cowgirls showed off their defense with several run saving catches.
 
After 9 1/3 innings it was UIW's Victoria Altamirano who overshadowed the Cowgirls efforts with a walk-off solo homerun in the 10^th inning that gave the Cardinals the 1-0 win to even the series at one game apiece.
 
Altamirano ended the day with four of the 10 Cardinal hits and her team leading 12^th homerun of the season.
 
McNeese ended the game with seven hits with Nyjah Fontenot pacing the Cowgirls with three, going 3 for 3 in the game
 
UIW threatened to score in the third and fifth innings but the defensive plays for the Cowgirls began in the first inning when Jada Muñoz fielded a grounder, tagged third and threw to first for the double play to end the inning.
 
In the fifth inning, it was right fielder Delaney Dunham that came up with a spectacular diving catch to save runners from scoring from second and third. 
 
UIW loaded the bases with one out in the eighth but Bouvier's line drive snag at first base turned into a double play to end that threat.
 
McNeese used three pitchers with Kadence Williams getting the start.  After giving up a single to Altamirano in the fifth inning, Williams retired the last seven batters she faced before being replaced by Ryann Schexnayder in the eighth.  Schexnayder tossed two innings, and Taylor pitched the final 1/3 innings of the game.
In the series finale Bouvier's two out single in the first inning scored Mundine for the early 1-0 lead
 
McNeese added three runs on three hits in the fifth to extend its lead to 4-0. An RBI single up the middle by Chance that scored pinch runner Rylee Eyster.  One batter later, Mundine doubled in pinch runner Onna McElroy.  The final run of the inning came from a sacrifice fly by Muñoz that scored Chance.
 
Two more runs by McNeese in the sixth on a RBI sacrifice fly by Brylie Fontenot and a RBI single by Alexis Dibbley increased the Cowgirl lead to 6-0.
 
UIW avoided the shutout by scoring three runs on four hits on one McNeese error in the seventh.
 
McNeese Notes
• McNeese collected 16 hits on the day
• Nyjah Fontenot and Rylie Bouvier led the Cowgirls with four hits apiece
• Samantha Mundine picked up three hits
• Alexis Dibbley returned to the field and went 2 for 4 on the day after missing the last 12 games due to an injury
• Kassidy Chance extended her hitting streak to 14 games and Samantha Mundine extended hers to 13 games.
• Maddie Taylor earned the decision in both games.  Taylor was the losing pitcher in the 1-0 (10 inn.) opening game.  Taylor came back to win the series clincher 6-3 to improve to 9-6 on the year.