PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana Christian University softball team used big innings and a walk-off to secure a doubleheader sweep of Dillard, defeating the Bleu Devils 7-1 and 5-4 Tuesday afternoon at Wildcat Park.
 
Game 1 – Louisiana Christian 7, Dillard 1
 
Errors put Louisiana Christian (18-18, 8-10 RRAC) in a bind early in the day's opener as a pair of miscues allowed Dillard (16-11, 13-2 HBCUAC) to score an unearned run in the top of the first inning. It remained 1-0 Bleu Devils until the Wildcat offense came to life in a big way in the fourth inning.
 
Myah Talbert started the fourth by drawing a walk and was pinch run for by Sydney Viallon. Viallon stole second, moved to third on Cecilia Bookman's base hit up the middle, and scored on Lexi Broussard's base hit to left to tie the score.
 
Kaitlyn Roberts, pinch running for Bookman, went to second on Broussard's RBI single, moved to third as Madelyn Bourgoyne sacrificed herself to also get Broussard into scoring position, and came home on Kate Daigle's base hit to the left-center gap to put LCU in front while also moving Broussard to third.
 
Broussard was forced home as Mariel Medrano watched ball four pass by with the bases loaded to make it 3-1. Caydance Lobdell, who reached base on a walk herself, got to second on Daigle's hit and third on Medrano's walk, came home on Maci Baldwin's base hit to center for a 4-1 LCU lead.
 
Isabella Battaglia got the final two runs home as she dropped a base hit into the right-center gap which scored both Daigle and Medrano, making it 6-1 Wildcats when the inning finally ended.
 
LCU added another in the sixth. Medrano drew a walk with one out, stole second, and came home as Battaglia's again went towards right-center for a RBI base hit and the 7-1 score.
 
Battaglia was the lone Wildcat with multiple hits in game one, going 2-for-3 with three RBI.
 
Medrano was 1-for-2 but drew two walks, stole two bases, knocked in a run, and scored twice.
 
Baldwin was 1-for-2 with a RBI and was hit by a pitch.
 
Broussard was 1-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored.
 
Daigle went 1-for-2, was hit by a pitch, stole a base, scored a run, and knocked in one.
 
Carly Carpenter (2-1) threw 3.2 innings of one-hit relief in the circle to pick up the win, not allowing a run with four strikeouts and one walk.
 
Olivia Falcon got the start and threw 3.1 innings, giving up three hits and one run, which was unearned, with five strikeouts and four walks, and she would not be done for the day.
 
Game 2 – Louisiana Christian 5, Dillard 4
 
Once again, the Wildcats needed a rally to overcome an early deficit as Dillard struck with a two-run home run in the third and pushed across another run in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead as the Wildcats came to bat in the bottom of the fourth inning.
 
But the offense came to life with two outs to push the Wildcats ahead. Bookman drew a walk to start the inning and was replaced on the base paths by Roberts. After Roberts stole second, the next two batters got out, leaving her still at second with now two away. She was able to take third on a wild pitch, and scored on Naya Soto came through with a base hit through the left side of the defense to get one back.
 
The speedy Viallon took Soto's spot on base and the change made a difference. She stole second and came home on a single to left by Bourgoyne where Bourgoyne was able to take second as the Bleu Devils tried to throw Viallon out at the plate.
 
Daigle then had the big hit of the inning, banging the ball off the left field wall for a triple which scored Bourgoyne to tie the game. Medrano then gave the Wildcats the lead as she found the right-center gap for a double to plate Daigle, giving LCU a 4-3 lead.
 
But Dillard tied the score back up on a two-out, RBI double in the top of the fifth to make it 4-4. LCU had to fight out of a big jam in the sixth as the Bleu Devils led off with the inning with a double and the base runner moving to third with one out. But a pop fly in foul ground and a ground ball to shortstop got the Wildcats out of the jam with the score still tied. For their part, Dillard got out of their own jam as Soto led off the bottom of the sixth with an infield single and was sacrificed over to second by Bourgoyne for the first out, but she would move no further and the score remained tied.
 
Down to the last out before extra innings, the Wildcats found the offense to get the winning run home in regulation. With two away, Bookman drew a walk and was pinch ran for by Emily Marks. Marks stole second base and Broussard was able to send everyone home as her fly ball to deep center tipped off the top of the retreating Bleu Devil center fielder's glove, falling for the RBI double as Marks raced home with the winning run.
 
Soto and Medrano both had two hits in the nightcap. Medrano went 2-for-4 with a double, stole a base, and knocked in a run while Soto went 2-for-3 with a RBI. Viallon, while pinch running for Soto, stole a base and scored a run.
 
Broussard was 1-for-4 with her one being the walk-off double which accounted for her lone RBI.
 
Bookman drew two walks and the two pinch runners used for her in the contest, Roberts and Marks, both stealing a base and scoring in her place.
 
Bourgoyne went 1-for-2 with a RBI and run scored.
 
Daigle was 1-for-3 with a triple, a RBI, and a run scored.
 
After Dillard hit the lead-off double to start the top of the sixth inning, Falcon (8-6) came on in relief and got out of that jam to keep the game tied. She threw the final two innings and allowed just one hit and no runs with one strikeout and no walks to pick up the game two win after not getting the decision earlier in the day.
 
Samantha Hill threw the first five-plus innings, giving up seven hits and four runs, all earned, with three walks and three strikeouts.
 
The Wildcats remain home this weekend as Texas College comes to Pineville for a three-game Red River Athletic Conference set, which starts with a doubleheader on Friday. First pitch of game one of Friday's twin bill with the Steers (3-15, 3-14 RRAC) is set for 1 p.m. at Wildcat Park.