NATCHITOCHES, La. -- The Lamar Lady Cardinals earned their first Southland Conference Tournament win since reviving the program in 2013 with a 3-1 victory over fourth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday.

The win, Lamar's first in the Southland Conference Tournament since 1986, was the Lady Cardinals' 25^th victory of the season, setting a school record as LU improved to 25-26.

"It's great to get that first win," Lamar coach Holly Bruder said. "That is a huge weight off of our shoulders."

Freshman right-hander Laura Napoli (18-16) set a single-season school record for wins, passing the mark set by Shannon Millman in 2013. Napoli pitched a complete game, allowing six hits, walking two and striking out two.

"Laura didn't pitch her best against Southeastern Louisiana, so she had something to prove today," Bruder said. "She wanted to leave her mark."

Southeastern Louisiana (21-29) took a 1-0 lead in the first when Sydney Booker singled home Katie Lacour. That was all the Lady Lions would get on the day however, as Napoli and a strong Lamar defense kept them in check for the rest of the game.

"I was hitting the corners and keeping my pitches low," Napoli said. "My defense gave me a lot of confidence because they were making plays behind me."

Lamar (25-26), the No. 5 seed, tied the game in the top of the fourth when Taylor Duck's infield single scored Brynn Baca. The Lady Cardinals added unearned runs in the sixth and seventh, taking advantage of three Southeastern Louisiana errors.

Sarah Ragsdale had two of Lamar's seven hits, while Stephanie Meeuwsen went 1-for-3 as she reached basely for the 21^st consecutive game.

Lamar faces top-seeded Northwestern State in the second round at approximately 7:45 p.m. Wednesday.

#LUsoftball