BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University Cardinals saw their hopes for earning the top seed in the Southland Conference Softball Tournament come to an end with an 8-0 loss to the visiting McNeese Cowgirls on Saturday afternoon.
 
"It's disappointing knowing that we can't be the top seed, but we still have plenty to play for," LU coach Holly Bruder said. "We still have a chance to be the second seed and get a first-round bye. We just have to bounce back from this."
 
The Cardinals (31-18 overall, 17-7 Southland) could earn the No. 2 seed with a series sweep at Nicholls next weekend in the final games of the regular season.
 
McNeese (35-12, 20-4) wasted no time in taking control of Saturday's game, scoring three runs in the top of the first off of starter Amie Cisneros (3-3), who lasted just 2/3 of an inning. McNeese added three unearned runs in the second inning, capitalizing on an LU error to make it 6-0.
 
"That was the turning point in my book," Bruder said of the error. "Instead of being out of the inning, we're down 6-0."
 
That was more than enough support for McNeese Starter Jamie Allred (14-3), who scattered four hits over five innings. Allred walked one and struck out three.
 
The Cowgirls added two more unearned runs in the fifth inning to make it 8-0. LU needed to score in the fifth to extend the game, but couldn't solve Allred as the Cowgirls claimed the run-rule victory.
 
"McNeese was better than us this weekend," Bruder said. "Give them credit. Even in the game we won, they battled hard. We didn't do that today. "If we want to play for a conference championship, if we want to play for a tournament championship, we have to come to play every game."
 
Kelly Meeuwsen had two of LU's four hits, as she extended her streak of reaching base safely to 24 straight games, two shy of the LU record of 26 set earlier this season by Brittany Rodriguez. Brynn Baca and Stephanie Meeuwsen had the other hits for the Cardinals.
 
Morgan Catron went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored for McNeese.
 
The Cardinals wrap up the regular season with a three-game conference series at Nicholls next weekend. The teams play a single game at 6 p.m. Friday and a doubleheader at noon Saturday. McNeese will host the conference tournament from May 11-13, with the tourney champion getting an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
 
"It will be another tough series, against another team that is near the top of the conference," Bruder said of the weekend at second-place Nicholls. "We have to be ready to play all three games."