LAKE CHARLES, La. – Senior outfielder
Gracee Hess played the role of hero twice Friday as she helped deliver two walk-off victories for Lamar University against Austin Peay and Illinois-Chicago at McNeese's Carl Vincent Insurance Invitational.
Hess ended game one against APSU with a pinch-hit walk-off home run to beat the Governors, 9-1 in five innings.
Sicily Windham (three RBI),
Riley Whitley (HR, two RBI),
Makenzie Wright and
Isabella Flores (RBI) each recorded two hits for LU.
Reagan Smith got the win by allowing one run on two hits with one strikeout.
In game two, Hess, who recorded two hits, singled in the game-ending run to propel the Cardinals to a 10-2, six-inning victory over UIC.
Cimara-lei Wessling and
Cala Wilson added two hits while the latter was one of two Cardinals with two RBI, along with Wright.
Mallory Pitre got the win with four innings of two-run, three-hit ball with one strikeout.
Kaylee Cuevas relieved Pitre in the fifth and pitched two shutout frames.
Game 1: LU 9, Austin Peay 1 (5 Inn.)
The Governors got on the board first in the top of the third inning with an RBI groundout. LU's answer came in the bottom half as Whitley homered to right that tied the score, 1-1. One inning later, the Cardinals broke the deadlock with seven runs, all with two outs.
Kamrayn Radford drew a bases-loaded walk while Windham tripled to right and cleared the bases. LU followed up with three RBI singles by Whitley, Wilson, and Flores. Hess was then called on to pinch hit to leadoff the bottom of the fifth and sent the second pitch of the inning over the left field fence for a homer.
Game 2: LU 10, Illinois-Chicago 2 (6 Inn.)
The Cardinals loaded the bases in the bottom of the first and scored twice on a bases-loaded walk to Wright and a fielder's choice off the bat of Flores. The Flames scored once in the third inning and had the tying run at third before Pitre got the last hitter to popout to Wilson at first.
For the second game in a row, LU scored seven runs in the fourth inning. After Radford reached on an error to score Hess, Whitley drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 4-1. Wessling singled in Radford while Wilson drove in two with a double. Wright grounded out to short, which scored Wessling, before Hess brought Wilson home with an RBI single.
Although UIC extended the game with a run in the top of the fifth inning, the Cardinals would again load the bases in the sixth inning, which brought Hess to the plate. Hess singled towards the pitcher and Wilson scampered home with the game-ending run.
LU will play the same teams Saturday to conclude its time in Lake Charles. The Cardinals will open at 10 a.m with Austin Peay, while the second game with UIC starts at 3:00 p.m.
