No. 1 Cowgirls Ride Past the Bearkats in Five Innings
Southland Conference
Box Score
CONWAY, Ark. – McNeese’s Baylee Corbello crossed the plate to end the last game of the first day in the 2017 Southland Conference Softball Tournament in run-rule fashion 9-1 over Sam Houston State on Wednesday at Farris Field in Conway, Ark.
The top-seeded team needed just five innings to punch its ticket to the winners’ bracket to take on No. 2 Nicholls on Thursday at 3 p.m. With two runners in scoring position, McNeese outfielder Justyce McClain hit to third base. It looked as if the Bearkats’ were going to get the out at first, but a throwing error brought Corbello home to end the game.
McNeese began the game with three hits in the first with a pair of walks and a fielding error that helped the Cowgirls produce five runs. The Cowgirls’ designated player Morgan Catron drove in the first pair of runs for the defending tournament champions with a single down the left. Tori Yanitor sent a double to left center to score third baseman Erika Piancastelli and Catron to make it 4-0, and catcher Aubree Turbeville had a sacrifice fly to center field to bring in the fifth run.
The three-time Southland Player of the Year Piancastelli lined an RBI double to left to plate McClain. After advancing to third off of Catron’s groundout to shortstop, the Carlsbad, Calif., product caught the Bearkats sleeping and stole home to make it 7-0 after two innings.
A single down the leftfield line from Carleigh Chaumont scored left fielder Taylor Schmidt to make it 8-0 for McNeese in the third inning. McNeese found itself with bases loaded and Piancastelli at bat, but Sam Houston freshman relief pitcher Casey Kauder tossed the strikeout to end the inning.
The Bearkats plated their first runner in the top of the fourth as catcher Megan Crosby singled through the left side to bring third baseman Tori Koerselmann home to make it 8-1.
Sam Houston State will now play Northwestern State on Thursday at 12:30 p.m.
Due to anticipated inclement weather, all of tomorrow’s games will be pushed up by one hour. The first game will start at 10 a.m. with the last game of Thursday scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Games 1-9 will be streamed live on the Southland Digital Network with Chris Mycoskie, Steve Owens and Chris Kane sharing play-by-play duties. The games will be available via
southland.org/live and the
Southland Conference app. In addition to the mobile app, the app is now available for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku.
The championship round will be an exclusive presentation of ESPN3, which can be viewed via
WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app with Mycoskie and former Southeastern Louisiana pitcher Kati Morse on the call.