Interstate 10 was the only road needed to get these two teams together, as the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns and McNeese State Cowgirls met at Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond tonight for a non-conference matchup.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
This game was a home-run fest, and it started in the opening frame. Stormy Kotzelnick would launch one to right field for her 5th bomb of the season. However, McNeese would be quick to respond, with Jil Poulard getting a home-run of her own to center field to tie the game at 1.
The score between the Cajuns and the Cowgirls would stay tied until the 4th, when Karly Heath sent one over the center field wall to make it 2-1 Louisiana. Up until this point, the game seemed like it could’ve gone either way, but the Cajuns clawed out in front.
To the 6th we go, when Karly Heath would deliver yet again, this time some insurance. Karly would double to right center, scoring Melissa Mayeux to make it 3-1 in favor of Louisiana. However, McNeese would respond this time, with a 2-run single by Jil Poullard. The runs were scored on errors by the Cajuns, where Alayis Seneca would come home from 3rd and former Ragin Cajun Kendall Talley would score from 2nd to tie the game at 3 heading into the final inning.
In the seventh, neither team was able to seal the deal so it would take extra innings to decide a winner. In the 8th, Louisiana would get a runner on with Sophie Piskos singling up the middle, then a Karly Heath walk would put runners at 1st and 2nd with 2 outs for the Cajuns but that would be out as the Cowgirls get out of the inning.
In the 11th, Louisiana was able to put some things together. The inning started with a Melissa Mayeux walk, who advanced to second on a bunt single by Heath. Next hitter was Kramer Eschete, and both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Eschete would get a blooper single into shallow right field to score both runners and make it 5-3 Louisiana.
Sam Landry would come in for the bottom of the 11th, and after walking the first batter, she would get two outs before Kendall Talley sent a popup to center field that was dropped and scored the walked baserunner Reese Reyna to make it 5-4. And a wild pitch and a dropped 3rd strike, Poullard would reach 1st, scoring Talley and tying the game at 5.
In the 13th inning, Eschete would single to the shortstop, advanced on a throwing error, and then ended up at third on a fielder’s choice. However, a flyout from Stormy Kotzelnick would keep the game even at 5. In the bottom of the frame, Seneca would reach on a single and then Talley would be walked to put two runners on with no outs. Megan Schorman would intentionally walk Poullard, McNeese’s hottest hitter tonight, to load the bases. Chrislyne Moreno would reach on a fielders choice to walk off tonight’s game for the Cowgirls by the final score of 6-5 in 13 innings.
BIG NUMBER: 11
Louisiana stranded 11 runners on base tonight while also committing three errors. These mistakes and misfortunes led to the extra-innings victory for McNeese.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jil Poullard
Poullard was a difference maker tonight, going 2-5 with a single, a home run, and being intentionally walked, which set up the game winning run.
UP NEXT: Louisiana (23-10, 9-3 SBC) will return home to Lamson Park to face Troy (22-10, 8-4 SBC) this weekend. McNeese (21-14, 6-0 SLC) extends their win streak to 11 and will stay home to face Southeastern Louisiana (25-10, 3-0 SLC) this weekend.