Lady Bengals add four wins on Florida trip
By Tom Dodge
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Spring break in sunny northwest Florida was a great place to be foe the Louisiana State University at Eunice softball team as the Lady Bengals rolled to four straight wins.
Hannah Latiolais struck out four and pitched a five-hit, 3-0 shut out win over Kirkwood Community College to open the tournament.
The Lady Bengals scored all three runs in the top of the fourth inning when Kim St. Amant walked and pinch runner Jamie Daigle scored on a two-run homer by Elizabeth Kaiser. LSUE moved ahead 3-0 when Amanda Savoie singled and scored on a sacrifice by Lindsey Babin.
The Lady Bengals grabbed a sweep over Kirkwood with a 8-0 win in the finale of the doubleheader.
Fagan Willoughby earned the win as she fanned three and scattered three hits over five innings.
The Lady Bengals jumped out to a 3-0 first inning lead begun when Jessica Cooper walked and scored on an error. Kaiser then drove in St. Amant and Leigh Jukes for a three-run advantage.
St. Amant singled again in the third inning and Kaiser belted a two-run home run for a 5-0 margin.
The Lady Bengals sealed the win in the fourth inning when Candace Fairchild walked, Emmalea Dugas singled and Kami Hebert blasted a three-run round tripper.
“We had two solid games against one of the best teams in the country,” LSUE head coach Brian DeWitt said. “We had some clutch hits that were lacking earlier in the season. We had solid pitching, tight defense and our bats were very patient.
“To sweep a quality program like Kirkwood speaks volumes that this team can play ball with anybody when they work hard and get their jobs done.”
The Lady Bengals then closed out the weekend with a doubleheader 10-5, 7-6 sweep over Highland Community College.
Willoughby picked up the win in the first game as she fanned four and allowed two earned runs on four hits.
Latiolais started the contest and allowed two earned runs on six hits with two strikeouts in two innings of work.
Hebert went 5-for-5 with three RBI, while Cooper went 3-for-3 with two runs scored in the win.
Savoie was 3-for-3 with a RBI and three runs scored, while Jukes also was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI.
In the 7-6 win in the finale, Kaiser allowed three earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and two walks in six innings.
Willoughby earned the win as she fanned one and did not allow a hit in the final inning.
The Lady Bengals won the game in the bottom of the seventh when Jukes scored on a hit by Lindsey Babin that the Highland third baseman threw past first base.
Hebert was 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Babin was also 3-for-4 with a double.
Jukes was 2-for-4 with a RBI and two runs scored, while Kaiser finished 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI.
“We could have gone back to our old ways, but these girls didn’t give up as they kept working and found a way to win.” DeWitt said. “We kept moving forward when we made a mistake and didn’t let the mistakes keep us from getting the job done.”