LAKE CHARLES—McNeese Softball didn't let history repeat itself here Saturday as the Cowgirls punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a 10-2 (5 inning) win over Lamar in the Southland Conference Championship Series (If Necessary) game on its way to winning its 40
th game of the season.
The 40-win season is the seventh under head coach
James Landreneau and his fifth straight 40-win season.
McNeese (40-20) will find out what region as well as its opponent during the NCAA Selection Show scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) Sunday, May 10 on ESPN2.
For the second straight game, McNeese collected 10 hits while Taylor allowed only three hits in the complete game win to improve to 18-4 on the season.
Of the 10 Cowgirl hits, three were homeruns. Weeks, Muñoz, and Dibbley led McNeese with two hits apiece. Muñoz led with four RBI.
McNeese, who lost to Southeastern in the Championship Series (If Necessary) game last year, jumped on Lamar (34-24) starter Reagan Smith (15-7) early by taking a 5-0 lead in the first inning behind a
Jada Muñoz grand slam for a 4-0 lead four batters into the game.
McNeese added another run on an
Onna Pruitt sacrifice fly that score
Maddie Taylor from third. Smith was replaced after allowing five runs on five hits and one walk in 1/3 of an inning. The Cardinals used a total of three pitchers in the game.
The Cowgirls extended their lead to 7-0 with two more runs in the second inning off two solo homeruns. One by
Nyjah Fontenot and one by
Maddie Weeks, both went over the centerfield wall.
Lamar got on the board with a run in the third inning on a solo homerun by Ariel Flores and scored their second run of the game in the fifth inning on when Hess was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and later scored on a Cowgirl error.
McNeese ended the game away in the bottom half of the fifth by scoring three runs. Muñoz led off with a single followed by a Taylor walk. A single up the middle by
Rylee Cloud scored Munoz for the 8-2 lead.
Alexis Dibbley then doubled in both Cloud and pinch runner
Adriana Mireles to end the game.
2026 Southland Conference All-Tournament Team
Hallie Burns, Southeastern
Claire Sisco, Nicholls
Gracee Hess, Lamar
Isabella Flores, Lamar
Reagan Smith, Lamar
Sicily Windham, Lamar
Meiko Dominguez, McNeese
Maddie Taylor, McNeese
Maddie Weeks, McNeese
Jada Muñoz, McNeese
Rylee Cloud, McNeese
Kassidy Chance, McNeese (MVP)
McNeese SLC Tournament Notes
• Won a league high 10th overall SLC Tournament and sixth under head coach
James Landreneau
• Have won seven of the last 10 tournament titles and four of the last six tournament
McNeese NCAA Tournament Notes
• Will make its 10 overall NCAA Tournament appearance and sixth under head coach
James Landreneau
• Will make its first appearance since 2023
• Have advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals twice- 2022 (Evanston, Illinois) and 2023 (Seattle, Washington)
