Game 2: Softball Double-Header Loss

With the first game in the books, the women were looking to take the second game of the double header and remain undefeated in conference play. The Bobcats defeated the Cowgirls in game one giving them their first loss in conference, and sent Katie Garnett to the mound to continue their five game winning streak; and it looked as if the cats were going to do just that until the top of the sixth inning.

The McNeese State Cowgirls put up 4 runs in the top of the sixth to take a one run lead, which was held for the rest of the game. Cowgirl pitcher Michelle LaVoie pitched a complete game and was rewarded with the win after settling in the Bobcat’s initial attack.

The Bobcats got out to an early lead in the third inning when Alex Newton stole home on a strategic double steal by the Bobcats, and Chandler Hall singled in the second run in the fifth inning to make it a 2 run advantage. Soon after, the Bobcats pulled the same trick by double stealing with runners on first and third, as Hall came on to plate the second run in the inning giving the Cats a three run advantage and some insurance. It seemed as if the Bobcats were going to cruise to another Southland Conference victory, but the Cowgirls of McNeese adapted to Garnett’s off-speed and began to mount a comeback of their own.

With 2 outs in the sixth, the Cowgirls rattled off four straight singles in addition to a lead-off walk that eventually chased Garnett out of the game before the Cats knew what hit them. Despite a late inning rally in the bottom of the seventh inning, kept alive by a McNeese State error and a Taylor Hall single, Leah Boatright struck out in an intense at-bat that ended the game in a loss for the Bobcats.

This marks the first loss in Southland Conference Play for the Cats (12-7 overall, 4-1 SLC), and sets up a rubber game for Sunday at noon. Ryan Kos and Alex ended the day with three hits each, and although Garnett pitched a solid game, she gets tagged with her fourth loss. The Bobcats look to take the third game in the series against the Cowgirls and to grab their fifth win in this early stage of Southland Conference Play.

Weston Warner- KTSW Sports Staff Writer