Lady Bengals continue to hit the ball well; sweep Independence Thursday
The LSU Eunice softball team continued its hot hitting with a pair of wins over visiting Independence Community College on Thursday afternoon, winning game one by a 7-1 score before a 10-2 victory in the second game.
The Lady Bengals (33-1) finished the doubleheader with 20 hits in addition to their 17 runs, as Emily Nolan led the way at the plate with four hits over the two games, notching seven RBIs, a pair of doubles and a grand slam home run, while Brooke Clark and Dani Cruickshank each had three hits on the afternoon, with both driving home an RBI as Cruickshank tallied a double and homer.
"We played well. We laid off some pitches and capitalized on some big hits and did well working the counts and hitting pitches that we needed to hit," head coach Andy Lee said.
In the opener, LSU Eunice plated two runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back, adding three runs in the third and two final runs in the fifth frame.
Clark finished with two hits and an RBI, while Destin Vicknair (2 RBIs, 2 walks), Raven Cole (3 RBIs), Taylor Boulet, Carey Alexis (double) and Nolan (double) all collected a hit each.
Vicknair earned the win in the circle, allowing just five hits in the seven inning complete game while giving up the one run and two walks with five strikeouts.
LSU Eunice jumped on the board with Clark's RBI single in the first before Vicknair drew a based-loaded walk later in the inning. In the third, Vicknair notched her second RBI on a single before an Independence error allowed a second run to score on the play. Cole's RBI groundout later in the inning gave the hosts their fifth run.
Cole's two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth wrapped up the scoring in game one.
The second game saw Cole toss a no-hitter in the circle, allowing two unearned runs and three walks while striking out nine batters in the five inning win.
Offensively, the Lady Bengals got on the board with a single run in the first inning before a four-run second inning, adding another run in the third before a four-run fifth finished the afternoon.
Nolan finished the game 3-for-4 with seven RBIs after collecting a double and a grand slam, while Cruickshank notched a solo homer and a double of her own as part of her three-hit game.
Codi Covington finished with two hits, while Clark, Vicknair (RBI) and Katie Flowers (double, RBI) each added a hit.
Nolan collected her first RBI with her run-scoring groundout in the first to get LSU Eunice on the board. Cruickshank led off the second inning with a solo homer before Nolan drove home two more runs on her double later in the inning, as she came around to score on Vicknair's RBI single.
Independence scored their first run in the third inning via a hit-by-pitch and a squeeze bunt before the Lady Bengals responded with a run in the bottom of the frame off of Flowers' RBI double.
After Independence's second run scored on an error in the fourth, LSU Eunice put the game away in the fifth when their first three batters of the inning reached and Nolan sent her grand slam deep over the wall in left field.
The Lady Bengals are back in action on Sunday afternoon when they host Bossier Parish Community College in a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. with the second game to follow.
Sunday's games can be seen on Bengal All-Access.
