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12 - AB Garcia (SLCT Bunt)
SLU Athletics / Samuel Conners
8
Winner McNeese MCN 39-19
6
HCU HCU 23-27
Winner
McNeese MCN
39-19
8
Final
6
HCU HCU
23-27
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
McNeese MCN 4 0 0 1 2 1 0 8 7 0
HCU HCU 1 0 4 0 0 1 0 6 6 0

W: Schexnayder, Ryann (9-2) L: Grofman, Ronni (6-10)

Game Recap: Softball |

SB: Huskies drop back-and-forth elimination game to top-seed McNeese at Southland Tournament

HCU season comes to a close; team bids final farewell to 11 seniors



HAMMOND, Louisiana --- Houston Christian University rallied after falling behind early, but ultimately dropped a tough back-and-forth affair to top-seeded McNeese State University on Wednesday night in an elimination game at the Southland Tournament. The Huskies fell behind 4-0 in the first only to storm back and take the lead before the regular season champs pulled away down the stretch.
 
McNeese jumped out in front quickly, putting four runs on the board in its opening trip to the dish. Back-to-back singles with one out were followed by a walk to Corinne Poncho that loaded the bases.
 
Emily Phillips then worked a two-out walk that brought in the first run with two more coming in on a double by Reese Reyna to make the score 3-0. A passed ball allowed Phillips to score from third, and the Pokes had grabbed a four-run lead before the Huskies came to bat.
 
In the bottom of the inning, AB Garcia walked to lead off. That was followed by two hard hit outs by Haylie Savage and Jasie Roberts, but Maddy Bailey picked them up with a laser that skidded all the way to the wall in right field for an RBI double, getting the Huskies on the board. 
 
In the top of the third, the Huskies would get out of a two-on, one-out jam, then went to work in the bottom of the frame. Juls Garcia led off with a bunt single, and moved to second when AB Garcia walked. Haylie Savage then reached on a fielder's choice to lead the bases. That brought up Maddy Bailey, who blasted a 2-2 pitch to the deepest reaches of the park in center for a go-ahead grand slam, giving the Huskies a 5-4 lead.
   
McNeese would get a quick run in the fourth to tie things back up, as Mariana Torres tripled to begin the frame and came in on a fielder's choice by Brilee Ford.
 
In the fifth, the Pokes would manufacture two more runs, retaking the lead. Corinne Poncho was hit by a pitch leading off, and moved to second on a single by Rylie Bouvier. Both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Phillips, and Reese Reyna then lofted a sacrifice fly to right to score Poncho with the go-ahead tally. Torres then walked and the Cowgirls got another run on a double steal as Bouvier took home plate for a 7-5 McNeese advantage.
 
The Cowgirls pushed another run across in the sixth to push the lead to three once again. Samantha Mundine walked and pinch-runner Rylee Eyster stole second. Alexis Dibley then singled to center to put runners on second and third, and the SLC's leading home-run hitter Poncho then laid down a squeeze bunt to bring in Eyster and give McNeese an 8-5 cushion.
 
HCU wouldn't go away and got one run back in the home half of the sixth. Maddy Bailey led off with a sharp single to center, and Riley Martin followed with a pinch-hit single through the right side. Martin was erased on fielder's choice from Jackie Jessup, but Kaicey Hagler got Bailey home with a sacrifice fly to right field, closing the gap to 8-6. 
That would be as close as HCU would get. After getting out of a bases-loaded pickle in the top of the seventh, the Huskies got a one-out bunt single from AB Garcia but nothing more, as McNeese held on for the elimination game victory.
 
The two teams combined for 14 runs on just 13 hits. While there were no errors in the game, there were 11 walks, two hit batters and three wild pitches in the contest.
 
Bailey finished with arguably her best overall performance of the season, coming a triple short of a cycle with her second career three-hit night. She was 3-3 with two runs, a double and the first career grand slam finishing with her top RBI output as a Husky with five.

17 - Maddy Bailey - SLCT Grand Slam
(Maddy Bailey is mobbed at home plate after her monstrous third-inning grand slam put the Huskies ahead 5-4 ... Photo / Rita Willhite)

AB Garcia went 1-2 with two walks and two runs scored. Riley Martin and Juls Garcia each had one hit.
 
Katy Janes started before giving way to Lyndie Swanson in the first inning. Swanson would go 3.1 innings and gave up just one hit and one run. Ronni Grofman took the loss in relief, allowing two hits and three runs over two innings of work before Janes returned in the seventh to get three outs in a row to lead the bases loaded and give HCU one last shot in its last at-bat.
 
Alexis Dibbley was 2-4 and Mariana Torres went 2-3 with a run scored. Reese Reyna was 1-3 and drove in three for the Cowgirls.
 
Ryann Schexnayder registered the win in relief, going 4.2 innings and giving up just three hits and one run. Dibbley started and went 2.1 innings, allowing five runs on three hits with two walks.
 
HCU finishes the 2024 campaign at 23-27. The Huskies bid farewell to 11 seniors: Tabitha Burnett, Maggie Childs, Ronni Grofman, Juls Garcia, Autumn Sydlik, Kaicey Hagler, Jackie Jessup, Riley Martin, Autumn Sydlik, Katy Janes, Jasie Roberts and Lyndie Swanson. 
 
#DawgsUp
 

 
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