EUNICE, La. – LSU Eunice Softball put everything on display on Saturday as the Bengals won two games in different fashions against Lamar State College.  The Bengals (17-5) swept the season series with the Seahawks, taking both the home and road doubleheader.
 
The Bengals rode a complete game effort and timely hits to a 3-1 opener over Lamar State before exploding for a 12-run frame in a mercy rule 13-3 decision to close the day.
 
LSU Eunice continues its home stretch on Sunday as the Bengals welcome Alvin Community College for a 2:00PM doubleheader at Lady Bengal Field.
 
Game 1 vs. Lamar State College – W, 3-1
McKenna Howell (Pollock, LA, Grant HS) tossed her third complete game of the year as LSU Eunice secured a 3-1 opener over Lamar State.  It was the eighth complete game of the season for the Bengals' pitching staff.
 
Howell gave up the Seahawks only run of the game in the opening inning as a two out double brought home a run.  After the first inning, Lamar State would only manage two base runners to reach scoring position for the remainder of the game.  Howell improved to 5-2 on the season after giving up one earned run off four hits and three walks.  She would strike out two batters.
 
The Bengals answered the Seahawks' run immediately, striking for a pair in the first inning.  Gracee Hess (Belle Chasse, LA, Belle Chasse HS) smacked a double to put two runners in scoring position with Sara Roussel (Luling, LA, Hahnville HS) scoring a batter later from a Reagan Duty (Mont Belvieu, TX, Barbers Hill HS) sacrifice fly.  Kate Rills (Gonzales, LA, East Ascension HS) plated the game winning run with a single to left to score Hess.
 
Kirsten Lalonde (Leonville, LA, Beau Chene HS) provided an insurance run in the sixth as she came home on one of two Seahawks errors.
 
Hess and Rills both recorded a multi-hit game as part of LSUE's eight hit attack. 
 
Game 2 vs. Lamar State College – W, 13-3 (Five Innings)
The LSU Eunice offense showed its potential as the Bengals exploded for a 12-run inning on their way to a 13-3 mercy rule win over Lamar State.  The 12-run frame is the largest single inning output for the Bengals in the Meghan Collins era and the most since a 15-run frame in a 28-4 win over Alvin Community College during the 2019 season.
 
LSUE found itself in a 3-1 hole entering the bottom of the fifth before exploding past the Seahawks and inducing the mercy rule.  The first nine base runners reached safely as Sara Rousel started the scoring with a RBI single to score Rylie Tate (Columbia, LA, Caldwell Parish HS).  Gracee Hess and Reagan Duty passed the bat as they would bring home the tying and go ahead runs in consecutive at bats.
 
Katie Salling (Baton Rouge, LA, Parkview Baptist HS) would spark the offense in a big way as the sophomore lifted two home runs in the frame.  A two-run home run to straight away center pushed LSUE ahead 6-3, while her three-run bomb to left field ended the game with the mercy rule in effect.
 
Duty also had multiple run scoring at bats in the inning as she stroked a two-out double to score two runs a batter before Salling's game ender.
 
Salling's five RBI game was a career high as she finished the game 3-for-4 with two runs scored.  She was joined by Duty with a multi-hit game as LSUE had 10 hits in the contest.  LSUE had six multi-base hits.
 
LSUE fell behind 3-1 after Lamar State plated two runs in the third and a run in the fifth.  Reagan Duty scored the lone run outside of the big frame as she laced a triple to open the fourth and would come home to score on one of the six Lamar State errors.
 
Reagan Rios (Longview, TX, Longview HS) notched her seventh win of the season after tossing three relief innings.  Rios struck out four batters, giving up one earned run off two hits and two walks.  Kaylee Chandler (Watson, LA, Live Oak HS) pitched two innings, working around two unearned runs off three hits and two walks.