Cowgirls take streak to LSU
Jada Munoz became a two-time Hitter of the Week winner in the Southland Conference, the league announced Monday.
The junior third baseman of the Cowgirls went 5-for-9 for the week, hitting .667 with a .750 on-base percentage and slugging at a 1.556 clip as McNeese State swept East Texas A&M.
She had seven RBIs to tie a Cowgirl single-game record in the opener while hitting two home runs. Munoz also drew four walks and scored four runs in the series while driving in a total of nine and adding two doubles to her work.
Munoz will lead McNeese into Baton Rouge Tuesday with an 11-game winning streak. The Cowgirls will also be trying to avenge an earlier 12-2 loss at the hands of the No. 9 Tigers.
In what could be a regional preview, McNeese will try to extend their season-best 11-game win streak. Ironically, just a week earlier, the school's baseball team saw its 12-game win streak stopped by LSU in the same town.
'Anytime you get to go there and compete in that type of atmosphere, it is exciting for everybody,' said McNeese head coach James Landreneau. 'The players really like to play against those types of teams. We find out where we are as a team.'
The Cowgirls led early in the first meeting in Lake Charles, but LSU scored 12 runs in the final two innings to put the game away. Home runs by Tori Edwards, McKenzie Redoutey, and Maddox McKee powered the comeback on April 1.
Overall, McNeese has won just four of the 33 meetings in the series and is just 2-19 in Baton Rouge. The Cowgirls have lost their last four games and haven't won in the state capital since 2014.
The sweep also kept the Cowgirls tied with Southeastern for first place in the conference at 20-4. McNeese is 34-7 overall.
With just three league games remaining, the Cowgirls hold the tiebreaker on SELA, so if both were to advance to the championship series, which would be played in Lake Charles.
'It is always good to get a win,' said Landreneau.
McNeese is still in the running to become the first team in league history to win four straight SLC regular season championships as well.
'We still have work to do for that,' said Landreneau. 'That's for you guys to write about; we have to stay focused on the next game. It has been a journey.'
McNeese will finish up its lead season next weekend with three games at Stephen F. Austin.
Unlike the first two games of the series, when the Cowgirls won by a combined 30-3 score on Friday night, Saturday afternoon's affair was much tighter.
'It is not that easy to score,' said Landreneau. 'We had the one good inning, and Nyjah Fontenot came up with the big hit.'
A pair of sacrifice flies by Delaney Dunham and Fontenot in the second inning gave McNeese a 2-0 lead.
The Cowgirls put the game away in the bottom of the fourth with some help from ETAM starter Kate Houser, who walked the bases loaded with one out. Fontenot responded with a triple to center that scored three.
'I was just looking for a pitch down I could hit well,' said Fontenot. 'My teammates did their job getting on base; it was time for me to do my job.'
Fontenot then scored on a throwing error to give McNeese a 6-0 lead. That proved to be the end for Houser, who fell to 4-4 with the loss.
Lefty Ryann Schexnayder worked six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. She walked two and struck out three while improving to 5-1 on the year.
'I thought Ryann was outstanding,' said Landreneau. 'She has ice water in her veins.'
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