Cowgirls suffer painful end to season

 

The torch has officially been passed. 

Any thoughts that Southeastern’s softball championship last season was a fluke are gone.

The Lady Lions are the queens of the Southland Conference after their punch-to-the-gut comeback win Saturday night over McNeese.

Southeastern slayed its biggest rival on its home turf, taking down the top-seeded Cowgirls 6-5 in the deciding game of the championship series at Joe Miller Ballpark.

And they did it ironically in walk-off fashion by a former Cowgirl.

Brilee Ford, a sophomore who played at McNeese last season before transferring to SELA, slapped a single to right with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh. Ford drove in Chloe Magee from third with the championship run.

“I feel for my players right now,” said McNeese head coach James Landreneau. “This is a tough moment. There are a lot of people hurting in our locker room right now.”

The second-seeded Lions (48-14) won the final two games to capture the best-of-3 series and advance to their second straight NCAA Tournament. It is SELA’s second softball title in program history.

The Lions rallied from a 4-0 deficit to score three in the sixth and three more in the seventh to foil McNeese’s hopes of adding to its record nine titles. The Cowgirls (41-20) were looking to win their fourth championship in five years and sixth in the last eight.

“Sometimes the game seems unfair,” said Landreneau. “This is a tough lesson. It is painful.”

It was doubly tough that it appeared the Cowgirls had won the title. With two out in the bottom of the seventh and up 5-3, Shelby Morris lofted a soft fly ball to short center. Nyjah Fontenot raced in and dove but came up short. 

The runner on second scored, but Fontenot recovered and fired to second, getting Morris according to umpire Todd Sharpe, who was hustling over from first base. However, second-base umpire Brian Soule, covering the play in center, turned back to his base and signaled safe. 

The umpires went to review as McNeese celebrated what they believed was a title. The umps returned and overturned the call, but never really said which one was being overruled.

In the end, the confusion found Morris still on second and one pitch later, Magee tied the game with a single to left, setting the stage for the Cowgirls’ ultimate heartbreak..

Landreneau refused to focus on the umpires.

“Things just started to fall apart for us at the end,” said Landreneau. “Four or five games we have been on the other side.”

Each of McNeese’s four postseason wins this year came by way of walk-offs.

McNeese took the lead in the first with a run after two were out. Sam Mundine, who has two walk-off RBIs in the postseason, drove in Jada Munoz from second and sent SELA starter Celia Lumpkin to a very early shower. 

Munoz had started the two-out rally with a single and moved into scoring position thanks to a Reese Reyna walk. Lumpkin worked just two-thirds of an inning, as did her replacement, Allison Brunson.

The Cowgirls made it 2-0 on a fielder’s choice by Nyjah Fontenot, scoring Brylie Fontenot from third. That turned into a double play when Nyjah Fontenot tried to take an extra base to end the inning.

The Cowgirls added two runs in the top of the sixth. Rylie Bouvier started with her fourth home run of the season, and second of the series.

Bouvier’s shot glanced off the glove of Shenita Tucker, the Lions’ center fielder, who had perfectly timed her leap over the fence. However, she could not corral the softball.

McNeese made it 4-0 moments later on Nygah Fontenot’s second RBI on a fielder’s choice. 

“I never felt comfortable with the lead,” said Landreneau. “If there is a pitch left, we know anything can happen.”

The Lions cut into the lead in the sixth, scoring three runs on just two hits and two costly McNeese errors. 

Southland Pitcher of the Year Maddie Taylor took the loss. Delaney was 3-for-3 with a walk for McNeese, finishing a perfect championship series. 

Delaney didn’t make an out in the three games, finishing 7-for-7 with two walks.