LAKE CHARLES—Freshman Gwinn Hall's first collegiate homerun in the bottom of the seventh inning, walked McNeese softball off into the Southland Conference Tournament Championship Series with a 3-1 win over No. 4 seed Incarnate Word Sunday afternoon.

The Cowgirls will host second seed Southeastern in a best of three-game series beginning Thursday, May 8 for the right to represent the Southland in the NCAA Tournament.  The Lions were winners of the Hammond bracket.

For the third straight game in bracket play and fourth SLC home tournament game, McNeese wins the game in walk-off fashion as the Cowgirls improve to 40-18 overall.  The 40-win season is the fourth straight for the Cowgirls.

The game was a pitching duel between Cowgirl freshman Kadence Williams and UIW sophomore Larissa Jacquez but in the end it was two freshmen that produced the ultimate runs to lift McNeese to the win.

After three scoreless innings, UIW broke a scoreless game with a run in the fourth for the 1-0 lead. McNeese had a chance to tie the game in the fifth but left pinch runner Adrianna Mireles stranded on third.

Williams (11-7) retired UIW in order in the top of the seventh, setting up the Cowgirls comeback.

Senior Reese Reyna led the inning off with a double through the left side then went to third on a sac bunt by Rylie Bouvier.  Freshman Sarah Allen put down a perfect squeeze bunt and Reyna raced home to score to tie the game at one apiece.

Hall, who entered the game with 21 at bats on the season, sent Larissa Jacquez's 0-2 pitch over the right centerfield wall to end the game.
McNeese picked up seven hits with Allend leading McNeese with two hits on the day.

Williams picked up her second complete game of the season, going the distance and allowed three hits, walked three, with two strikeouts.
 
PITCHERS OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher – Kadence Williams (11-7)
(7.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 3 BB, 2 K's)

Losing Pitcher – Larissa Jacquez (9-10)
(6.1 IP, 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 0 BB, 3 K's)
 
HITTING
Sarah Allen (2-3, 1 RBI, 1 run)
Gwinn Hall (1-2, 2 RBI, 1 run)- Walk off Homerun
Nyjah Fontenot (1-3, 1 double)
Reese Reyna (1-3, 1 double, 1 run
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
T4- UIW took the lead on a Kennedy Hill sacrifice fly (UIW 1, McN 0)
B7- Reese Reyna scored from third base on a squeeze bunt by Sarah Allen to tie the game.  Freshman Gwinn Hall homered to left centerfield to end the game (McN 3, UIW 1)
 
NOTES
•McNeese won all three bracket play games via walk-off
• Samantha Mundine drew a four pitch walk on Friday to win the game against East Texas A&M 5-4 (8 innings.)
• Nyjah Fontenot's walk off single helped McNeese defeat UIW 4-3 Saturday
• Gwinn Hall's walk off homerun Sunday helped McNeese to a 3-1 win over UIW in the Lake Charles Bracket play
• With the win, McNeese improves to 40-18 overall
• The 40-win season is the fourth straight for the Cowgirls
• McNeese has won 18 of its last 21 games
• McNeese will host second seed Southeastern in a winner take all three game Championship Series beginning Thursday, May 8-10.  All games will have 6 p.m. start times.
• The winner of the Championship Series will represent the Southland in the NCAA Tournament