PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana Christian University softball team finished it suspended first round game against #11 Our Lady of the Lake, falling to the Saints 6-3, but stayed alive in an elimination game by outlasting the Xavier Gold Nuggets 4-2 Saturday afternoon in the 2026 Red River Athletic Conference Softball Championship Tournament at Wildcat Park.
Game 1 - #11 Our Lady of the Lake 6, Louisiana Christian 3
In the game which started on Thursday at Champions Sportsplex in Lecompte but wouldn't finish until Saturday morning at Wildcat Park, the seventh-seeded Louisiana Christian (23-24) gave the two-seed, #11 Our Lady of the Lake (35-9) all it could handle before coming up short.
Both starting pitchers were on their game through four innings before the Saints broke through with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth.
But the Wildcats had an answer with a two out rally in the top if the sixth.
Maci Baldwin led off the inning by drawing a walk, but a strike out and a ground out to the pitcher had her at second with two outs.
Lexi Broussard was hit by a pitch and then
Madelyn Bourgoyne shot a base hit back up the middle, scoring Baldwin.
Naya Soto tied the score as she banged a base hit off the pitcher which allowed Broussard to come home.
Myah Talbert then drew a walk to load the bases, setting up
Kate Daigle who dropped a base hit into left field to score Bourgoyne and give LCU a 3-2 lead.
But the Saints rallied as the rain started to fall in the bottom of the inning as a sacrifice fly tied the score again and then a two-RBI double put the Saints in front just before lightning forced a postponement, shutting the game down for nearly 48 hours.
Two days later, when the weather allowed the game to resume, OLLU added one more run on a Wildcat error for the 6-3 lead. Baldwin and Kaitlyn Van Havebeke drew walks around an
Isabella Battaglia base hit to load the bases, bringing the leading run to the plate with no outs, but the rally was snuffed out there and LCU fell into the elimination bracket.
Bourgoyne led the offense against OLLU, going 2-for-3 with a RBI and run scored.
Baldwin got a hit in her lone official at bat, drawing a trip of walks, stealing a base, and scoring a run.
Broussard drew a walk, was plunked twice, and scored a run.
Soto was 1-for-4 with a RBI.
Daigle was 1-for-3 with a RBI as well.
Addison Bailey got the start and was efficient in the circle. She went 4.2 innings and allowed four hits and two runs, one earned, with four walks and no strikeouts, not getting the decision.
Olivia Falcon (10-9) threw an inning and gave up four hits and four runs, three earned, with one walk and no strikeouts to get the decision.
Carly Carpenter stopped the Saints fifth inning rally, coming on and facing two batters, allowing a hit and inducing a fly ball out to end the inning.
Game 2 – Louisiana Christian 4, Xavier (La.) 2
With their backs now against the wall, the Wildcats jumped out early and held off the sixth-seeded Xavier (18-30) to send the Gold Nuggets home.
Baldwin led off the game with a five-pitch walk. Broussard laid down a sacrifice bunt which the Gold Nuggets threw away, allowing Baldwin to go all the way to third. Battaglia lifted a fly ball to right deep enough to let Baldwin tag up and come home and when the throw bounced away from the Xavier catcher, Broussard moved up to second base.
A base hit by
Christina Curtis through the left side allowed Broussard to get to third, and then Curtis took off for second to draw a throw from the Gold Nugget defense, which they obliged her by doing. She got in a rundown long enough to allowed Broussard to take off for home and score for a 2-0 Wildcat lead after one.
LCU extended its lead in the fourth inning. Soto led off the inning with a ground ball to short which was bobbled, allowing her to reach safely.
Emily Marks took her place on base and went to second on Talbert's sacrifice bunt before taking third on a wild pitch. She scored as Daigle dropped a base hit into right-center for a 3-0 LCU lead.
Xavier got its rally going in the sixth, taking advantage of a pair of Wildcat errors to score two unearned runs. However, LCU was able to get out of the jam with the lead intact as a strike out and fly out stranded a pair of Gold Nugget runners in scoring position.
The Wildcats added an important insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. Battaglia led off with a double over the left fielder's head.
Sydney Viallon went in to run for her and moved to third as a pitch bounced away from the XULA catcher. Bourgoyne brought her home with a base hit to the left-center gap for the game's final run.
The win would not be secured without some bottom of the seventh inning drama as Xavier got the tying run on base with one out and loaded the bases with two outs to get the winning run aboard. But a fly ball to center ended the threat and kept LCU's season going into Sunday.
Battalia led the offense in the nightcap, going 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI.
Broussard got a hit, stole a base, and scored a run.
Bourgoyne and Daigle both went 1-for-4 with a RBI.
Baldwin drew a pair of walks and scored a run.
Falcon (11-9) went the distance against the Gold Nuggets, throwing all seven innings to get the win. She allowed seven hits and two runs, neither being earned, with three strikeouts and a pair of walks.
The Wildcats look to keep its run in the 2026 RRAC Softball Tournament going Sunday as LCU takes on the five-seed Texas A&M-San Antonio in an elimination contest. First pitch of Sunday's elimination game against the Jaguars (25-17) is set for 11:30 a.m. with the winner coming back at 7 p.m. for another elimination game.
The remainder of the 2026 Red River Athletic Conference Softball Championship Tournament will take place at Wildcat Park and is being broadcast on 446Sports.
