HAWKINS, Texas – The Louisiana Christian University softball team held off late rallies by Jarvis Christian in both halves of Wednesday's doubleheader to sweep both the twin bill, 7-5 and 2-1, and the series at Lady Bulldog Field.
 
Game 1 – Louisiana Christian 7, Jarvis Christian 5
 
Louisiana Christian (16-18, 8-10 RRAC) jumped out on Jarvis Christian (1-19, 1-15 RRAC) quickly in the day's opener with a big two-out rally in the top of the first inning. With two away, Isabella Battaglia started the rally with a double to left. Cecilia Bookman then drew a walk, setting up Christina Curtis who hit a triple to left to score them both. She came home on Myah Talbert's double to left for a 3-0 LCU lead after an inning of play.
 
JCU pulled back a pair of those runs in the bottom of the second inning, the first two runs of the series by the Bulldogs.
 
LCU extended its lead back out in the fourth inning. Naya Soto started the frame with a base hit into left and pinch runner Emily Marks took over for her. Marks stole second and then drew enough attention on a ground ball by Madelyn Bourgoyne that the Bulldog defense allowed Bourgoyne to reach while Marks also remained on base.
 
Kate Daigle sacrificed herself to move both Marks and Bourgoyne into scoring position. Marks scored on a wild pitch. After a walk and an error extended the inning and loaded the bases, Bookman delivered with a base hit which scored Bourgoyne and Mariel Medrano for a 6-2 Wildcat lead.
 
Jarvis got one back in the bottom half of the fourth to make it 6-3 while the Wildcats got that run back in the top of the sixth. Medrano led off with an infield base hit, moved to second when Lexi Broussard was hit by a pitch, stole third, and scored on Battaglia's ground ball to second base, making the score 7-3 Wildcats.
 
But a couple errors helped Jarvis Christian make a run to steal the game in the seventh as the Bulldogs scored twice and had the winning run at the plate before LCU shut it down to close out the win.
 
Bookman was the lone Wildcat with multiple hits in game one, going 2-for-3 with a walk in the contest. She drove in a pair of runs and scored once.
 
Battaglia was 1-for-4 with that one hit being a double. She knocked in a run and scored once.
 
Medrano was 1-for-3 with a walk, stole two bases, and scored twice.
 
Talbert was also 1-for-4 with a double and a RBI.
 
Curtis was 1-for-4 as well with a triple, knocked in a pair of runs, and scored once.
 
Clare Gauthreaux (1-0) got the win as she threw 2.1 innings from the circle in middle relief. She allowed just one hit and one run, which was earned, walked two and didn't record any strikeouts.
 
Addison Bailey finished the final 3.1 innings and gave up four hits and two runs, neither earned, with four walks and no strikeouts, picking up her second save of the season.
 
Addison Greak started the game and threw 1.1 innings, allowing a hit and two runs, both earned, with four walks and one strikeout.
 
Game 2 – Louisiana Christian 2, Jarvis Christian 1
 
The nightcap was a defensive struggle. The Wildcats struck first, doing so in the second inning. Bookman led off the frame with a hit to right field. Bourgoyne sacrificed her to second and then she moved to third on a wild pitch. Bookman came home as Curtis lifted a fly ball to left deep enough which allowed Bookman to tag up and score the game's first run.
 
Jarvis answered that run with one in the fourth to tie the score, though LCU got out of a jam as the Wildcats kept a runner who was on second base with just one out on the base paths.
 
With the game now in its closing stages, the Wildcats found the winning run in the sixth inning. Battaglia led off with a hit to center field and Daigle came in to run for her. Daigle stole second and went to third as Talbert laid down a sacrifice bunt to move her over, though Talbert would also reach safely thanks to a Bulldog error. Bookman drew a walk to load the bases and Bourgoyne got the run in with a fly ball to left which was deep enough to let Daigle tag up and score, putting LCU up 2-1.
 
Jarvis Christian got runners in scoring position in both the sixth and seventh innings, but LCU was able to strand them both times to complete the sweep.
 
Battaglia and Bookman both got a pair of hits in the nightcap. Bookman was 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored while Battaglia was 2-for-3 with her pinch runner, Daigle, scoring a run in her place.
 
Broussard had LCU's lone other hit in the contest, going 1-for-4.
 
Bourgoyne and Curtis both got a RBI.
 
Samantha Hill (1-2) picked up the win in the circle for the Wildcats, throwing 2.0 innings of middle relief, allowing a hit and no runs with two strikeouts and a walk.
 
Olivia Falcon came on in the seventh with a runner on first and got all three batters she faced out, two via strikeouts, to shut the door and get her first save of the season.
 
Katelyn Carpenter got the start and threw the first four innings, allowing four hits and a run, which was earned, with no walks and four strikeouts.
 
The Wildcats now enjoy the Easter weekend before starting an eight-game homestand on Tuesday, stepping out of Red River Athletic Conference play for the final time as Dillard comes up from New Orleans for a doubleheader. First pitch of game one of Tuesday's double dip with the Bleu Devils (13-9, 10-2 HBCUAC) is set for 2 p.m. at Wildcat Park.