PORT ARTHUR, Texas – LSU Eunice Softball left Texas with a pair of wins on Saturday as the Bengals took their doubleheader at Lamar State College.  The Bengals (13-5) secured their fifth doubleheader sweep of the season and the first on the road.
 
It was a total team effort as the Bengals saw four players record at least three hits in the two games.  LSUE rolled in its opener 8-0 before a 6-3 decision to close out its stay in Port Arthur.
 
LSU Eunice returns home on Monday for a doubleheader against Kilgore College.
 
Game 1 vs. Lamar State College – W, 8-0 (Five Innings)
LSU Eunice used strong pitching early and late offense to guide the Bengals to an 8-0 mercy rule win over Lamar State to begin the two teams' doubleheader.  It was LSUE's sixth run-rule victory of the season.
 
Reagan Rios (Longview, TX, Longview HS) tossed another complete game as she kept the Seahawks at bay before the Bengal bats came alive in the fourth and fifth innings.  Rios (W, 5-3) scattered two hits and a walk while striking out six batters.  The freshman started the game red hot as five of her first six outs were recording by way of punch out.
 
Rios would get all the offense she needed in the first inning as McKenna Howell (Pollock, LA, Grant HS) sacrificed in a run.  The Bengals would manufacture three more runs in the fourth with two fielder's choices and a sacrifice line out.
 
LSUE would induce the mercy rule with four runs in the fifth.  Katie Salling (Baton Rouge, LA, Parkview Baptist HS), Rylie Tate (Columbia, LA, Caldwell Parish HS) and Hadley Lemons (Kinder, LA, Kinder HS) would produce RBI base hits in the inning.  Salling was joined by Gracee Hess (Belle Chasse, LA, Belle Chasse HS) with multi-hit games.
 
Game 2 vs. Lamar State College – W, 6-3
LSUE used a big seventh inning to break a tie game and secure a 6-3 win over Lamar State College and grab the Saturday doubleheader sweep.
 
The Bengals put pressure from the start in the final inning with Gracee Hess and Reagan Duty (Mont Belvieu, TX, Barbers Hill HS) connecting on back-to-back singles to begin the frame.  Hess would score on a wild pitch before Rylie Tate laced a two-run double to push the Bengals' advantage to 6-3.
 
Cate Nettles (Slidell, LA, Slidell HS) safeguarded the win with a perfect seventh inning, grabbing her second win of the season.  The freshman gave three innings of relief, giving up two earned runs off three hits.  Kaylee Chandler (Watson, LA, Live Oak HS) received a no decision after going four strong, scattering one earned run off four hits.
 
LSUE took an early lead with a pair of runs in the second coming off the bats of Kaylee Chandler (Watson, LA, Live Oak HS) and Sina Ballew (Pineville, LA, Buckeye HS).  The Bengals pushed another run across in the fifth with a RBI single by Katie Salling before the Seahawks knotted the game in the bottom half of the inning.
 
Tate produced her best offensive game as a Bengal, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs.  She was joined by Gracee Hess and Reagan Duty with multi-hit games.