GULF SHORES, Ala. – LSU Eunice Softball clicked in all phases as the Bengals scored pair of victories on Friday to start the Sun Chief Invitational at the Gulf Shores Sports Complex. LSUE (13-3) took down a pair of NJCAA Division I preseason ranked teams in the emphatic wins.
The Bengals dominated from start to finish in a 10-0 run-rule victory over No. 5 Wallace State. LSUE capped off the night with six runs in the seventh inning to secure a 12-6 win over No. 11 Pensacola State.
LSUE closes out the Sun Chief Invitational with two early games on Saturday, facing Southern Union State and Bishop State beginning at 9:00AM.
Game 1 vs. Wallace State CC – W, 10-0
LSU Eunice used a five-run first inning to spark a landslide 10-0 win over Wallace State to open the Bengals' stay in Gulf Shores. It was the first mercy rule lost delivered to Wallace State in three years.
LSUE connected on five hits in the opening inning to plate five runs. After
Madison Prejean's (Lafayette, LA, St. Thomas More HS) double and a single by
Maci Baldwin (Moss Bluff, LA, Sam Houston HS) made it 2-0,
Sina Ballew (Pineville, LA, Buckeye HS) connected for a two-run double. The Bengals would score their fifth run of the inning on Wallace State's lone error of the game.
Prejean would keep her recent offensive tear going an inning later, making it 6-0 with a triple. She would score on a
Katie Salling (Opelousas, LA, Parkview Baptist HS) double. Salling added another RBI double in the fourth followed by an exclamation point by
Abby Touchet (Shreveport, LA, C.E. Byrd HS). The sophomore uncorked a two-run home run to push the LSUE lead to 10-0 and help secure the win in five innings.
Five different Bengals enjoyed multi-hit games as Maci Baldwin, Prejean, Salling, Touchet and Sallew would all get two base hits each.
Lost in the outstanding offensive performance was another jewel by
Chloe Bennett (Rosepine, LA, Rosepine HS). The sophomore ace took a perfect game into the fifth, surrendering a single before inducing a game ending double play. Bennett also struck out six batters for her 10th win of the season.
Game 2 vs. Pensacola State College – W, 12-6
The Bengals broke a tie game late with six-run seventh inning to land a 12-6 victory over Pensacola State to end the first day of the Sun Chief Invitational.
After surrendered five runs in the fifth and a game tying run in the sixth, LSUE regained the momentum in a big way. The Bengals would see their first five batters reach base safely as Katie Salling doubled home Mari Baldwin for what was the go-ahead and game winning run.
Maddie Chretien (Lake Charles, LA, Barbe HS) pushed the LSUE lead to 9-6 two batters later with a two-run double.
Sara Roussel (Luling, LA, Hahnville HS), Baldwin and Madison Prejean connected on three straight runs producing at bats to close out the offensive barrage.
Chloe Bennett would sit down the Pirates in order in the bottom half of the inning to seal the victory for LSUE. Bennett pitched two innings of relief work to notch the victory, giving up a hit and two walks with one strikeout.
LSUE's offense started the game on fire, racing out to a 6-0 lead. The Bengals scored four runs in the third followed by a two-run triple by Sina Ballew in the fifth.
Mari Baldwin (Moss Bluff, LA, Sam Houston HS) enjoyed a 3-for-5, driving in and scoring two runs to lead the LSUE 14-hit attack. Prejean, Maci Baldwin, Salling, Ballew and Chretien all had multi-hit games as well.
