Combined, the three hits didn’t travel 35 feet, but they left a huge mark on the Southland Conference softball race.

Using the very definition of small ball, the Cowgirls came up with a big win Saturday in the second game of their doubleheader sweep of Lamar. That kept McNeese State alone in first place by a game over Southeastern.

“Any time you can come away with three victories in a conference weekend is a good thing,” said McNeese head coach James Landreneau. “We played small ball, were patient at the plate and played really good defense.”

McNeese scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to win the nightcap 6-3 after taking Saturday’s opener 6-2.

Bunt singles by Rylee Eyster, Brooke Otto and Marina Torres scored one run and set the stage for two more in the three-run McNeese sixth. Corine Poncho drove in a second run on a sacrifice fly and the third came in on Rylie Bouvier’s grounder to first.

Lindsay Davis picked up the win in relief by going the final three innings while allowing just two hits and no runs. She improved to 5-5 with the victory.

The wins gave McNeese 11 victories in their last 13 games with their only losses coming during last week’s games at No. 17 Florida State. 

The Cowgirls, who have won 10 straight in conference play, improved to 26-15 overall and 11-1 in the SLC. Lamar fell to 23-16, 9-6.

After falling behind 3-1 on Trinity Brandon’s three-run homer in the fourth, McNeese tied the game in the bottom of the frame scoring runs on a walk and when Poncho was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

“I like our team responds, shows our kids are tough,” said Landreneau.

Those two runs led to the big sixth inning for the Cowgirls.

McNeese won the first game behind freshman Alexis Dibbley. The right-hander allowed just two hits and two runs over six innings to improve her record to 3-1. 

She worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth before turning it over to Lindsay Davis who pitched the seventh. 

Bella Perez drove in a pair of runs in the first as the Cowgirls never trailed. The Cardinals did tie the game in the fourth 2-2, but McNeese scored four times in the bottom of the frame helped by a pair of Lamar errors. 

All four runs were unearned. Lamar let in six unearned runs in the series opener Friday. 

Perez was the only Cowgirl with multiple hits in Game 1.

McNeese will be back in action Friday when they open a three-game series with Texas A&M-Commerce on the road with a doubleheader.