HATTIESBURG, Miss. —
There were no on-field victories or moral victories for Xavier University of Louisiana
softball Tuesday against NAIA No. 12 William Carey. But the Gold Nuggets
contended late in each game before the Lady Crusaders emerged with 7-3 and 5-4 decisions.
The second game went eight innings.
In the opener, Carey scored four runs, all unearned,
in the first inning. But XULA drew close with three unearned runs in the sixth —
Kadence Means scored on an outfield error, then
Madison Winston, who was 3-for-3, singled
home
Alexis Richardson and
Chenai Keyes to make it 4-3.
But Carey answered with three runs, two unearned,
in its half of the sixth, and winning pitcher Haley Nations, who struck out 10, worked a 1-2-3 seventh.
XULA led 2-0 and 4-3 in the second game
before Carey won in the eighth on Albanie Fussell's RBI triple and Hannah Dufault's RBI single.
The Gold Nuggets'
Vannity Robles pitched a complete game,
Melane Jimmie had XULA's only RBI
— an eighth-inning single that scored
Vivionna Robles and made it 4-3 —
Mecolett Bradley went 3-for-4, and pinch-runner
Kai Zokovitch stole home in the seventh
to force extra innings.
Ryanne Hornsby, winning pitcher in the second game,
struck out 11. Carey is 5-1.
Next for XULA (3-5) will
be its Red River Athletic Conference opener: a 2 p.m. home doubleheader Feb. 24
against Texas A&M-Texarkana. Wesley Barrow Stadium will not be available
that day; games will be played uptown in Audubon Park at The Fly.
