A day after being outplayed in every facet of the game, McNeese State flipped the script on Southeastern Louisiana, sweeping a doubleheader Saturday to return to the top of the Southland Conference softball standings.

McNeese (24-15, 8-1 SLC) completed the sweep with a 9-3 win in Game 2 after winning the opener 4-0. Crislyne Moreno launched a grand slam home run to left field to highlight a five-run first inning.

Whitney Tate (7-7) made it stand up, throwing a complete game while allowing four hits and no walks. She got plenty of help from the defense, including right fielder Alayis Seneca who threw a runner out at the plate in the first inning and made a diving catch on a line drive in the seventh. At the plate, Seneca had a two-run single, walked and scored twice.

She said defense takes precedence.

“(Head coach James Landreneau) always says offense sells tickets but defense wins championships,” she said. “Making a defensive play is a better feeling because you know you are having your pitcher’s back.”

Landreneau said he was glad to see the Cowgirls put a complete game together after losing the series opener 6-1 Friday.

“(Friday) was a rough day for us, we got outplayed in every phase of the game,” he said.

“The message to the team was that good teams respond. Our girls did a good job of that, put some good at-bats together, put pressure on them one-through-nine offensively. We made really good plays defensively, Seneca was outstanding. We’re a pretty good team when we put it all together.”

Kendall Talley had two hits and Toni Perrin scored twice for McNeese.

Can Goodman and Bailey Krolczyk had homers for Southeastern (26-12, 4-2). Barbe High product Aeriyl Mass doubled and scored a run.

Game 1 

McNeese 4

SE Louisiana 0

Ashley Vallejo (9-6) threw a four-hit shutout, striking out eight with no walks to lead the Cowgirls.

“She was lights out,” Landreneau said. “She commanded both sides of the plate well and was really efficient.”

Kaylee Lopez doubled to left-center with two outs in the third inning to give the Cowgirls the lead. Talley hit a solo home run in the fifth inning and Reese Reyna hit a solo shot in the sixth.

Mass doubled in the sixth for Southeastern’s lone extra-base hit. Madison Rayner followed with a walk but Vallejo escaped by forcing a fly to left and liner to third base.