No. 15 Louisiana 3, Eastern Illinois 2 (9 innings)
YOUNGSVILLE, La. – Eastern Illinois softball nearly pulled off the upset as the Panthers lost in extra innings to No. 15 Louisiana to open the 2022 Mardi Gras Mambo. Louisiana scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat EIU 3-2.
After the two teams played through regulation tied at 1-1, neither team was able to score in the eighth inning after placing a runner on second for the international tie breaker.
In the ninth EIU was able to take a 2-1 lead as pinch runner
Olivia Price came around to score on a Rajin' Cajuns error.
Louisiana rallied in bottom of the ninth tying the game at 2-2 as Laney Credeur led off the inning with an RBI single to right center. Three batters later Louisiana took advantage of a throwing error to third base trying to get out the lead runner, the error allowing the game winning run to score.
Rachel Kaufman (1-2) went the distance for EIU allowing no earned runs while scattering eight hits with five strikeouts. Meghan Schorman (2-1) pitched 4.1 innings of relief to get the win.
Louisiana scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning. Maddie Hayden singled and advanced to third on a throwing error. She would come in to score on a wild pitch.
EIU tied the game in the fifth on a
Megan Burton RBI double to left that scored
Morgan Lewis. EIU was limited to just four hits in the game with Burton, Lewis,
Jaylen Prichard and
Hannah Cravens all collecting hits.
Credeur, Stormy Kotzelnick and Jourdyn Campbell all had two hits for the Rajin' Cajuns.
EIU fell to 6-5 on the season while Louisiana improved to 7-1. The match-up featured a father-daughter battle as Louisiana is coached by Gerry Glasco the father of EIU head coach
Tara Archibald. This is the second time the two have squared off as college head coaches.
Northwestern State 7, Eastern Illinois 5
YOUNGSVILLE, La. – Eastern Illinois softball had its rally come up short in the top of the seventh inning as Northwestern State beat EIU 7-5 in the second game of the opening day of the Mardi Gras Mambo.
The Lady Demons loaded the bases in the bottom of the second before Keely DuBois delivered the big shot of the inning with a grand slam to give NSU a 4-0 lead.
Northwestern State added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth scoring two unearned runs. Tristin Court and Makenzie Chaffin both drove in runs during the inning.
EIU responded with four runs in the sixth inning as
Kendall Fields,
Lindy Milkowski and
Morgan Lewis all had RBI singles in the inning. Milkowski was one of two EIU players with two hits in the game going 2-for-4.
After Northwestern State added one insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, EIU had one more rally in the top of the seventh.
Jaylen Prichard delivered an RBI double in the inning going 2-for-4 in the game. Taylor Williams would make a diving catch to end the game stranding Panthers runners at second and third.
Maggie Darr picked up the win for Northwestern State improving to 3-0. Sage Hoover picked up the save, her third of the season.
Tieghan Morio fell to 1-2 with the loss.
EIU is now 6-6 on the season. Northwestern State improved to 8-4.
