HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Trailing 3-1 to Louisiana Tech, Lamar University (9-7) got a grand slam from
Sicily Windham, resulting in a 5-3 victory in the second game of the Southern Miss Black and Gold Challenge. Earlier in the day, the Cardinals dropped a 3-1 decision to Jacksonville State, which led to a split.
In the first game,
Cala Wilson (RBI) and
Raigan Brannon each provided two hits of the six in total for LU.
Sabrina Jolin (2.2 IP) was credited with the loss by allowing two runs on six hits. In relief,
Mallory Pitre conceded one run on two hits and struck out two in the remaining 3.1 innings.
Windham's grand slam was her lone hit and the only RBIs for the Cardinals in the win over Tech. LU also received a hit from
Jayne Sepulveda,
Trinity Brandon, Wilson,
Ava Blakely, and
Makenzie Wright.
Madison Guidry earned her fourth win of the season by going the distance while surrendering three runs on seven hits and striking out a career-high seven batters.
Game 1: JSU 3, Lamar 1
LU scored first as
Gracee Hess led off with a walk. Following a two-out hit from Harrison, Wilson drove in Hess from second on a single to lead 1-0. Jolin got through the first two innings without a run. All that changed in the third as the Gamecocks doubled in a pair for a 2-1 lead.
JSU extended that lead to 3-1 with a fourth-inning solo shot to left. After being held hitless in the fifth and sixth innings, Big Red got a leadoff single in the seventh from Brannon, who was lifted for pinch runner
Emilee LaRue. LaRue advanced to second with two outs, but JSU's pitcher got out of the jam by getting Sepulveda to lineout to short.
Game 2: Lamar 5, Louisiana Tech 3
Sepulveda led the game off with a double and came home to score on a wild pitch. The Bulldogs answered with three runs in the bottom of the first on two extra-base hits to go up 3-1. Held to one hit for the next two innings, the Cardinals loaded the bases in the top of the fourth as Brandon, Wilson, and Blakely each singled.
With the count 1-1, Windham sent the next pitch off the centerfield scoreboard for her first homer of the year, which made it 5-3. Tech placed two runners on base in each of the last three innings but came up empty. In the seventh, the Bulldogs had runners in scoring position before a ground out to second finished the victory for LU.
LU will look to get revenge on the Gamecocks Saturday at 9:00 a.m. Then later, the Cardinals meet with USM at 4:30 p.m.
Â
