PINEVILLE, La. — Louisiana Christian swept Xavier University of Louisiana Sunday in a Red River Athletic Conference softball doubleheader. The Wildcats won 8-0 and 10-2; both were halted in the fifth inning because of the 8-run mercy rule.
        It was the first of five road doubleheaders in seven days for XULA.
        Next for the Gold Nuggets (12-12 overall, 8-10 Red River) will be a conference doubleheader in Hooks, Texas, against NAIA No. 23 Texas A&M-Texarkana. First pitch will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Hooks High School. Live video of those games will be offered on YouTube at www.youtube.com/@xulasoftball/streams.
        The Wildcats (18-18, 7-11) climbed to a game behind sixth-place XULA in the battle for the final spot in the conference tournament.

Game 1
        Winning pitcher Morgan Louviere (4-2) allowed two hits — infield singles by Arin Dale in the first inning and Maia Tyler in the fifth — walked none and struck out seven. The Wildcats scored in every inning, including Madelyn Bourgoyne's RBI singles in the second and third innings and Caydance Lobdell's pinch-hit fifth-inning homer with the bases empty.

Game 2
        XULA led 2-0 in the top of the first inning when Destiny Lavigne singled home Dale, then Amaya Williams' sacrifice fly to left-center scored Lavigne. But Lexi Broussard rallied the Wildcats with an RBI single in the first and a grand slam during a five-run second inning.