May 19, Cecil College – W, 14-0
LSU Eunice used an eight-run second inning to cruise past Cecil College in its National Tournament opener, 14-0. The Bengals scored all of its runs in the first innings of mercy rule shortened game.
Chaney Trahan collected three hits to pace the Bengals’ offense while Haley McCall chipped in a pair of hits, two RBIs and three runs scored.
Heather Abshire’s two-out, two-run double highlighted a four-run first inning for the top seeded team. McCall jumpstarted the eight-spot an inning later with a two-run single.
Tina Schulz and Leah Andrus combined to strikeout nine batters and allowed just two hits in the five inning contest.
May 19, South Mountain College – W, 7-6
The No. 1 Bengals held off a late charge by South Mountain College to move on in winner’s bracket play with a 7-6 win. It was LSUE’s second game of the first day of the NJCAA Div. II National Tournament.
South Mountain raced out a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a two-run home run. The Bengals responded in the third when Ashley Taylor reached on two-out infield error to plate Jaci Trahan and Chaney Trahan.
LSUE broke loose for a five-run fifth inning to take a 7-2 advantage. Logan Fuselier provided the big hit in the frame with a two-run single to right field. South Mountain would close the game to 7-5 in the bottom of the inning and inched closer with a two-out run in the seventh.
Chaney Trahan led the Bengals’ offense again with a three-hit game while Tina Schulz, Haley McCall and Fuselier notched multi-hit games.
Tina Schulz recorded the final out and picked up the win after throwing the final six innings of the game after Heather Abshire exited in the first with a foot injury. Schulz struck out three batters in the outing, while allowing four runs off of ten hits.
May 20, Owens Community College – W, 6-0
Tina Schulz dominated Owens CC as the freshman’s complete game shutout fueled LSUE to a 6-0 victory. The win helped the Bengals reach the winner’s bracket final.
After Leah Andrus sacrificed in the first run of the game in the first inning, the Bengals pushed across two more in the fourth off a Logane Fuselier RBI single and Katie Ocmand bunt. LSUE plated three more runs in the fifth after Ashley Taylor drove in a pair and Haley McCall’s run scoring single.
Schulz finished the game with eight strikeouts while scattering five hits and not issuing a walk.
Karli Wainwright, Chaney Trahan, Katie Ocmand and Haley McCall each posted two-hit games in the well-rounded offensive performance.
May 21, Kankakee Community College – W, 12-7
LSUE exploded out to an 11-1 lead of Kankakee and never looked back, clinching a NJCAA title game berth with a 12-7 win.
A five-run third inning helped the Bengals separate from Kankakee, 8-1, after the two teams threw opening blows. Logane Fuselier provided the fireworks with a two-run home run to make it an 11-1 LSUE edge in the fourth inning.
Tina Schulz, Logane Fuselier, Chaney Trahan and Haley McCall all recorded three-hit games while Schulz picked up the win in the circle. The freshman scattered two earned runs off of eight hits while striking out one batter.
May 21, Owens Community Collee – W, 10-0
LSU Eunice captured its first National Championship in style, routing Owens CC 10-0, its second shutout of the school during the tournament.
Haley McCall earned MVP honors after racking up another multi-hit game, highlighted by a first inning three-run home run. McCall added two more runs scored in the game during her three-for-four game.
Leah Andrus would score off an error and later double home a run to help push the Bengals’ lead to 6-0 after three innings. LSUE added three more runs in the sixth inning after Karli Wainwright and Ashley Taylor produced run scoring hits. Katie Ocmand added the final run of the game in the seventh with a ground-rule double to plate McCall.
Tina Schulz silenced the Owens’ bats for a second time, striking out four batters while allowing six hits and one walk.
In addition to McCall’s heroics, Karli Wainwright, Ashley Taylor and Leah Andrus posted multi-hit games. LSUE set a pair of National Tournament records with a .424 team batting average and .992 team fielding percentage.
Tournament Awards
Most Valuable Player – Haley McCall
Most Outstanding Defensive Player – Samantha Bella
Most Outstanding Pitcher – Tina Schulz
All-Tournament Team – Tina Schulz, Chaney Trahan and Haley McCall
Coach of the Year – Andy Lee
