PERKINSTON, Miss. – LSU Eunice split its Sunday doubleheader at Mississippi Gulf Coast in the Bengals' first true road series of the season. 
 
The Bengals held on for a 4-3 opening win before falling 9-5 in the twinbill nightcap.
 
LSU Eunice continues its Magnolia State road trip tomorrow with a doubleheader at Hinds CC.  The action from Rene T. Warren Field will begin at 1:00PM.
 
Game 1 at MGCCC – W, 4-3
Freshmen Mallory Little (Opelousas, LA, Opelousas Catholic HS) and Abbey Higginbotham (Church Point, LA, Notre Dame HS) provided the offensive punch for LSU Eunice as the Bengals held on for a 4-3 win over Mississippi Gulf Coast CC.
 
The duo each drove in a pair of runs with Little's two-run home run in the third sandwiched between two RBIs from Higginbotham.
 
The Bulldogs would strike first with a lead-off home run in the first from Shelby Archer.  After being held in check for the majority of the game, Gulf Coast would plate two more runs in the sixth to get within a run.
 
Jensen Howell (Alexandria, LA, Holy Savior Menard HS) (W, 6-2) pitched six innings to pick up the win.  Howell gave up three earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four.  Heather Zumo (Baton Rouge, LA, Central HS) was credited with her first save of the season, striking out two batters.
 
Kristen Cade was tabbed with the loss for Mississippi Gulf Coast.
 
Game 2 at MGCCC – L, 9-5
A four-run first inning was too much for LSUE to overcome as the Bengals fell to the Bulldogs, 9-5, in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader.
 
LSUE miscues allowed Gulf Coast to take a commanding lead as the Bengals issued a walk, error and hit by pitch in the frame.  The Bulldogs would grow their lead to 6-2 in the fourth inning after a two-run double from McKenzie Nichols.
 
The Bengals clawed within a run, 6-5, in the fifth after Mallory Little scored off an error and Abby Trahan (Hackberry, LA, Hackberry HS) drove in two runs with a triple to right field.  LSUE was able to get the lead batter on base five of the seven innings, but left six runners in scoring position on the night.
 
Heather Zumo (L, 7-1) was tagged with her first loss of the year after going 3.1 innings, giving up four runs with just one being earned.  Lauren Parson (DeRidder, LA, DeRidder HS) and Karli Ortego (Pine Prairie, LA, Pine Prairie HS) pitched in relief.
 
Avery Sanders grabbed the complete game win for Mississippi Gulf Coast.