PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana Christian University softball team bats started to find the ball late in game one of Thursday's doubleheader against LSU Alexandria, and while that might've been too late for a rally in game one, it led to a big output in game two to give the Wildcats a third win in the four-game regular season series with the in-Parish rival Generals, dropping game 1, 7-1, and winning game 2, 11-9, at Wildcat Park.
 
Game 1 – LSU Alexandria 7, Louisiana Christian 1
 
Errors proved to be too costly for the Wildcats in the first game of the day as the four miscues turned into four unearned runs for the Generals in the day's opener. In the first inning, a trio of LCU errors allowed two unearned runs as four runs came across in the frame to give the Generals a 4-0 lead. LSUA would add a run in the second and then two more unearned runs crossed in the fourth to make the score 7-0.
 
The Wildcats broke up the shutout in the bottom of the sixth inning. With one out, Kayla Dauthier slipped a base hit through the left side of the infield to reach first base. An attempt to back-pick her at first was thrown away and she moved up to second base on the error. A base hit by Bella Houck back up the middle moved Dauthier to third. Olivia Coaker did the job after that, lining a pitch to left deep enough to allow Dauthier to tag up and score the game's final run.
 
Emma Hunt had two of LCU's five base hits in the game, going two for four in the contest. Kayla Dauthier went one for two with a walk and a run scored. Olivia Coaker had LCU's lone RBI in the contest. Lexie Marks and Bella Houck had the only other hits for the Wildcats in game one.
 
Olivia Coaker (3-2) went the distance in the circle for the Wildcats in game one, throwing all seven innings and giving up ten hits and seven runs, just three earned, walked one and struck out four.
 
Game 2 – LSU Alexandria 9, Louisiana Christian 11
 
The Wildcats again found themselves facing an early deficit in game two as LSUA scored a trio of runs in the top of the first inning. But this time, LCU had an almost immediate response. With one out, Meredith Perry laid down a perfect bunt along the third base line and beat out the throw to reach safely. After stealing second, Desiree Squires drove a base hit down the left field line all the way to the wall for a double that scored Perry from second.
 
But a big rally with two outs helped put the Wildcats up to stay. With runners on first and second and two away, Bella Houck dropped a base hit just over the third baseman's head and Squires raced around from second to score. Olivia Coaker followed that by going over the center fielder's head, allowing Kayla Dauthier to come around from second to tie the score, put runners on the corners, and chase the LSUA starting pitcher. The new Generals pitcher was greeted rather rudely by BreAnna Corkern, who found the left-center alley for a double to score both Houck and Coaker to give the Wildcats a 5-3 lead when the inning finally ended.
 
LSUA loaded up the bases with no outs in the top of the second, but a grounder to third turned into a third-to-home-to-first double play, putting LCU on the verge of getting out of the inning with no damage done. But a base hit up the middle quelled the hopes for a clean inning as two runs scored, and the Generals pulled back even at 5-5.
 
But the Wildcat bats remained hot in the second inning, pulling ahead to stay in the bottom half. Emma Hunt and Meredith Perry both walked to open the second inning. Hunt moved to second on a passed ball and third on a wild pitch while Perry stole second to get both runners in scoring position with no outs. Desiree Squires hit a slow roller to second that she beat out and Hunt came home on to put LCU back in front. After a sacrifice bunt moved Squires into scoring position too, Miah Broussard drove a pitch into the right-center gap and both Perry and Squires scored to make it 8-5. After Broussard got a good read on a ball in the turf to move up to second on a wild pitch, Bella Houck made it pay off with a base hit back up the middle as Broussard raced around third and scored for a 9-5 LCU lead after two complete innings.
 
LCU added another in the third as KayeLea Dearmon led off the inning with a pinch-hit base hit back up the middle. With Hailey Vitrano reentering the game to run for Dearmon, Emma Hunt was asked to lay down a sacrifice bunt, which she did to successfully move Vitrano into scoring position. Now with two outs, the luck with errors turned to LCU's favor as a fly ball to left by Desiree Squires was dropped and Vitrano raced around third and scored as the Wildcats lead grew to 10-5.
 
In the fourth, Miah Broussard kicked off the frame with a walk. With Lexie Marks now on base to run for Broussard, Marks stole second to get in scoring position, which paid off as Olivia Coaker's single up the middle with one out scored Marks and the LCU lead became 11-5.
 
But the Generals didn't go down without one last rally as LSUA scored a run in the fifth to make it 11-6, and then plated three runs in the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate with two outs, but Bella Houck made a leaping stab of a line drive for the game's final out to keep the tying run from reaching base.
 
Bella Houck and Olivia Coaker both led the offense in the nightcap as each went two for three at the plate with a walk, two RBI, and a run scored. Desiree Squires went two for four with a double, two RBI, and two runs scored. BreAnna Corkern went one for four with a double and two RBI. Meredith Perry went one for two with a walk, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. Miah Broussard went one for three with a walk, two RBI, and a run scored.
 
Bailey McMillian (8-5) threw the first 4.1 innings and gave up ten hits and six runs, all earned, walked seven and struck out two to pick up the win. Miah Broussard threw the final 2.2 innings and allowed three hits and three runs, all earned, walked three and struck out one.
 
With ten games remaining in the season, the Wildcats (23-15, 12-6 RRAC) look to take complete control of one of the RRAC East Division's two guaranteed spots in the conference tournament on Saturday when second place LCU hosts third place Xavier on Saturday for a pair of contests. The Wildcats hold a three-game lead over Xavier heading into the weekend in the standings and XULA has just eight conference games remaining on its schedule. First pitch of Saturday's twin bill against the Gold Nuggets (17-24, 11-11 RRAC) has been moved up to 12:00 P.M. in the hopes of getting the games in ahead of forecasted bad weather at Wildcat Park.