MERIDIAN, MS. -- The LSU Eunice Lady Bengal softball team lost to two top-10 NJCAA Division I squads in the final day of the MCC Rush Invitational.  LSUE plays in Division II.  Sixth-ranked Northwest Florida State (23-5) defeated the Lady Bengals 5-2 and tenth-ranked Shelton State (11-3) beat LSUE 11-6.

LSU Eunice, who is ranked first in Division II, is now 22-5 on the season.

Game 1, LSUE 6, Shelton State 11
Errors plagued the Lady Bengals against Shelton.  LSUE committed seven errors in the game.  Four of those errors came in the first inning and helped Shelton jump out to a 4-0 lead.

The Lady Bengals fought back; scoring runs in the second and third inning to take a 5-4 lead, sparked by an Lakyn Wales home run.

Errors again hurt the Lady Bengals.  Shelton scored two runs on three hits and an error and regained the lead.  

LSUE tied the game in the fifth inning, but Shelton opened up a 4-run lead in the bottom of the fifth, helped by two LSUE errors.

Elizabeth Fontenot (Port Barre HS) earned the loss.  She pitched four innings, struck out two.  Hannah Vidallier (North Vermillion HS) finished the game, pitching two innings and striking out one.

Lakyn Wales (Zachary HS) was 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs and a home run.  Molly Wilson (Castor HS) finished 2-for-4 with a RBI.  Rae'Shaun Malancon (Ascension Catholic HS) was 1-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored.

Game 2, LSUE 2, Northwest Florida 5
The Lady Bengals took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning with Jeannemarie Angelle (Cecilia HS) scored off a Haley Godeaux (Cecilia HS) double.  The Lady Bengals would hold that lead until the bottom of the fourth inning when the Raiders scored three runs off two hits and an error.

LSUE added a run in the top of the sixth when Bobbi Smith (West Ouachita HS) drove in Mima Doucet (Notre Dame HS).  But, the Raiders scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to earn the win.

Godeaux was 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs, and Angelle finished 1-for-2 with a run scored.  Malancon was 2-for-4.