YOUNGSVILLE — The LSU Eunice softball team made history on Sunday.
LSUE climbed out of a 10-run hole to post a dramatic 20-13 victory over Lake Land College at the Youngsville Sports Complex. The 10-run deficit was the largest an LSUE team has overcome in program history.
The game started off poorly for the Bengals (3-1) in the very first inning.
After the Bengals went down in order to begin the game, the Lakers grabbed a hold of the game with eight runs off five hits and two errors. Lake Land College also scored four of the eight runs with two outs.
LSUE plated a run in the top of the second with a solo home run by Karli Fontenot but Lake Land College responded by scoring three more runs in the bottom of the second to take a 11-1 lead after two frames.
That set the stage for one of the wildest comebacks in LSUE history.
Jessi Cary would lead off the third with a single, and would score along with Sydnei Simon on a Gracie King double. Karli Ortego would send the Bengals dugout into a frenzy as the pitcher swung a bat for the first time as a member of the LSUE program, and connect for a RBI single to make it an 11-4 game. LSUE would then go on to string together six consecutive two-out at bats to reach base safely, capped off by Simon’s three-run home run to tie the game at 11-11.
LSUE’s 10-run inning would come by way of eight hits and two walks as the Bengals would have 13 at-bats in the frame.
Ortego (2-1) would pick up the win after 4.2 innings in relief, giving up one unearned run off seven hits and one walk while striking out two.
Rylie Candella helped LSUE keep its lead with two home runs in the final four innings including a go-ahead two-run home run in the fourth. Lake Lake College would creep back within a run in the bottom half of the inning, but the Bengals would respond with seven unanswered runs.
In total, LSUE outscored Lake Land College 19-2 over the final five innings.
Candella and Simon led the offensive charge with four RBIs a piece, while Simon’s four hit morning paced the Bengals’ 19-hit attack. King, Fontenot, Mallory Little and Cary all posted multi-RBI outings.
LSU Eunice will open its home portion of the 2020 season on Tuesday against Angelina College. The doubleheader is slated to begin at 2 p.m. and will be live streamed on Bengals All-Access.