MILLINGTON, Tenn. — NAIA member Xavier University of Louisiana opened its fifth season of varsity softball with 6-4 and 9-7 victories Saturday against NCAA Division II LeMoyne-Owen.
        The Gold Nuggets got five hits, including two doubles, and four RBIs from freshman left fielder Miya Covington. XULA pitchers in 14 innings produced a 16-3 advantage in strikeouts. Essynce Wallace, the first-game starter in her Gold Nuggets debut, struck out five in three innings.
        XULA's offense had a 30-11 advantage in hits.
        Next for XULA will be a 1 p.m. Feb. 21 doubleheader at NCAA Division I Alcorn State.

Game 1
        •  XULA trailed 3-0 through two innings, then scored twice in the third and four times in the fourth.
        •  Covington had three hits, and Madison Winston, Amireeya Malveaux and Kiera Evans had two hits apiece. Newcomer Arin Dale drove in two runs.
        •  Reliever Maia Tyler got the win, and newcomer Adrianna Phillips worked a scoreless seventh for the save.

Game 2
        •  XULA led 6-2 after scoring in each of the first four innings. The Lady Magicians scored three in the fifth, but the Gold Nuggets answered with three in the seventh.
        •  XULA had 18 hits, four for extra bases. Evans was 4-for-4, freshman Destiny Lavigne had three hits, and Covington, Malveaux and Shay Angelle had two hits apiece. Covington had three RBIs, and Evans and freshman Aaliyah Brown drove in two runs apiece.
        •  Evans doubled and tripled, and Covington and Lavigne doubled.
        •  Ziay Graves had two hits, including a triple, and two RBIs for LeMoyne-Owen.
        •  Freshman Jayda Martin, the second of three XULA pitchers, was the winner.