Cowgirls sweep SLU

The Cowgirls celebrated winning their third straight Southland Conference regular-season title by doubling up on Southeastern Saturday.

Using a pair of four-run innings, one in each game, McNeese State swept past the second-place Lady Lions in a pair of games to end league play.

Trailing by two runs in each game, the Cowgirls used the four-run rallies to claim the lead and ultimately victory in the battle of top Southland clubs.

McNeese scored four runs in the sixth in the opener to win 5-3 after a long rain delay stopped the action for close to two hours. In the nightcap, it was a four-run fourth followed by two more runs in the fifth that led to a 6-2 win.

That gave McNeese (38-18, 22-2) three wins over SLU in the space of 24 hours as the Cowgirls claimed the top spot in the upcoming SLC Tournament that opens Tuesday. McNeese will play the winner of No. 4 Incarnate Word and No. 5 Lamar on Wednesday at 11 a.m. in Hammond.

SLU (42-13, 17-7) will play the second game Wednesday in the double-elimination tournament. McNeese will be looking for its fourth-straight tournament title and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Friday night McNeese used a 3-0 victory to clinch the title.

When asked how he wanted to play the final two games Saturday, McNeese head coach James Landreneau said, “I want to win them both.”

His team followed his wishes.

Ryann Schexnayer was the winning pitcher in both games, going two innings of relief in the first and all seven in the second game. She allowed just two runs, only one earned, in her nine innings of work.

Schexnayer didn’t walk a batter in either game as she improved her record to 8-2.