LAKE CHARLES—Southeastern softball evened the Southland Conference Tournament Championship Series at one game apiece with a 2-0 win over McNeese Friday night, forcing the "if necessary" game.  The teams will meet for the final time this season at 6 p.m. Saturday with the winner advancing to the NCAA Tournament next week.  The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

The game was a pitcher's duel for the first 4 ½ innings until the Lady Lions (47-14), who served as the home team, broke a scoreless game with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 2-0 lead.

McNeese (41-19) had several chances to score in the game and left nine baserunners stranded.  In the first and third innings, McNeese had runners on second and third but couldn't get the timely hit it needed.

Likewise, Southeastern left the bases loaded in the fourth as Kadence Williams got Colleen Sullivan to pop out to second base to end the threat.

Southeastern's Shelby Morris singled up the middle with two outs, stole second then scored on a Chloe Magee single to left for a 1-0 lead.  Cowgirl leftfielder Samanthan Mundine misplayed Magee's hit and the ball scooted all the way to the outfield wall, allowing Magee to score from first for the 2-0 lead.

The Cowgirls couldn't get anything going in the last two innings as Southeastern's defense came up with some huge plays when it needed to hold on for the  win.

Both McNeese's Kadence Williams and Southeastern's Lainee Bailey threw complete games. Bailey tossed a complete game shutout. 

The shutout is the first shutout McNeese has suffered at home against a Southland opponent since April 1, 2017 when Northwestern State defeated the Cowgirls 1-0.

The loss is the first SLC Tournament home loss since its 2009 2-1 loss to former Southland member Texas State in the tournament championship game.


PITCHERS OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher – Lainee Bailey (5-1)
(7.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 runs, 3 BB, 3 K's)

Losing Pitcher – Kadence Williams (11-8)
(6.0 IP, 7 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned run, 2 BB, 0 K)
 
HITTING
Delaney Dunham (2-1, 1 BB)
Nyjah Fontenot (1-3, 1 BB, 1 SB)
Reese Reyna (1-3, 1 double)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
B5- Chloe Magee singled to left scoring Shelby Morris (SE 1, McN 0); Magee scored on a three-base error (SE 2, McN 0)
 
McNEESE TOURNAMENT NOTES
•- The loss is the first home SLC Tournament loss for McNeese since its 2-1 loss to former Southland member Texas State in the 2009 championship game.
• It's the first time McNeese has been shutout at home by a Southland opponent since 2017, when NW State defeated the Cowgirls 1-0 on April 1
• All four of McNeese's wins in the 2025 SLC Tournament were walk-off wins
• McNeese's last five home SLC Tournament wins have been walk-off wins (four in 2025 and one in 2023), the last time McNeese hosted the tournament
• McNeese has won 14 of its last 15 SLC Tournament home games
• McNeese is 41-19 overall, its fourth straight 40-win season
• Are 25-4 at home this season, two of the three losses are to teams ranked in the Top 10 (twice to Tennessee, once to LSU)
• Cowgirls winning streak of seven games was snapped with Friday's loss
•- has an overall 64-36 conference tournament record.
• McNeese is looking for its 10th overall SLC Tournament Title
• making a league high 35th Southland Conference Tournament appearances in 2025.
•- is hosting its fifth SLC Tournaments (2009, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2025)
•- McNeese is one of seven Division I teams that have won 40 or more games in each of the last four seasons (2022-25).
• Among the seven, the only two non-Power 4 teams on the list (McNeese & Southeastern) are playing each other in the 2025 SLC Championship Series. The other five are Oklahoma, Florida State, Texas, UCLA and Tennessee.
• McNeese has won six of the last eight Southland Conference Tournaments and four of the last five conference tournaments played (2020 Covid year- no tournament)
• Have won 18 of its last 22 games
•- The Cowgirls are 18-2 in their last 20 games.  Their losses were a 5-2 road loss at No. 10 LSU on April 22 that snapped its 11-game winning streak and Friday's 2-0 loss to Southeastern


 SLC TOURNAMENT (CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES) PRESENTED BY TOYOTA
All Games Streamed on ESPN+
 
Thursday, May 8
No. 1 McNeese 3 vs. No. 2 Southeastern 2
 
Friday, May 9
No. 1 McNeese 0 vs. No. 2 Southeastern 2
 
Saturday, May 10 (If Necessary)
6 p.m.: No. 1 McNeese vs. No. 2 Southeastern