Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

HAMMOND – The bats came alive for the Southeastern Louisiana softball team on Sunday, as the Lady Lions combined for 22 hits in their two games on the final day of the Lion Classic at North Oak Park.
 
In the opener, Southeastern (1-4) pounded Northern Illinois (3-2), 10-2, in six innings. Junior Ariell Van Hook hit the first home run of her Lady Lion career, while former Chipola College teammate and current Southeastern senior Trish Bliss had two doubles. Senior Vicki Honeycutt (1-0) went the distance in the circle for the Lady Lions, scattering six hits for her first win of the year.
 
In the nightcap, Southern (1-5) scored three runs in the sixth inning to hand the Lady Lions an 8-6 loss. Five errors were too much for Southeastern to overcome, spoiling a career-best day at the plate for junior Michelle Duhe, who went 4-for-5 with a triple and two runs batted in.
 
Southeastern will be back in action on Wednesday, traveling to Louisiana Tech for a 3 p.m. doubleheader in Ruston.
 
Game One – Southeastern Louisiana 10, Northern Illinois 2 (6 Innings)
NIU grabbed the early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Nicole Gremillion led off the inning with an infield single, stole second and scored on a one-out infield single by Stephanie Tofft to stake the Huskies to a 1-0 advantage.
 
Southeastern retook the lead for good in the top of the third inning. Consecutive singles by sophomore Megan McCollum and Duhe put a pair on with two outs. Van Hook cleared the bases with a monster shot over the left centerfield fence to put the Lady Lions ahead, 3-1.
 
The Lady Lions padded their lead in the fourth. Sophomore Megan Moore walked and later scored on an RBI double by Bliss to put Southeastern up, 4-1.
 
Northern Illinois cut the lead in half in the bottom of the frame. Tofft singled to lead off the inning and later scored on an RBI single by Jennifer Barnett.
 
That was as close as the Huskies would get, as Southeastern exploded for six runs in the sixth inning. Bliss led off the inning with a double and scored on an error by NIU second baseman Emily Woller. Later in the inning, junior Kelsey Nichols doubled for the Lady Lions and later scored on a wild pitch. Another run would come in on a double by senior Meghan Gomez, while sophomore Kayla Elswick added to the tally with an RBI single. Gomez would score the inning's final run on wild pitch by NIU reliever Allyson Hecht to put Southeastern ahead, 10-2.
 
Honeycutt would make the lead hold. The St. Francisville native sat Northern Illinois down in order to preserve the mercy rule win.
 
SLU – 003 106 – 10 10 0 (1-3)
NIU – 100 100 – 2 6 1 (3-2)
Honeycutt and Bliss. Dortch, Hecht (6) and Norton. W – Honeycutt (1-0). L – Dortch. HR – SLU: Van Hook. 2B – SLU: Nichols, Gomez, Bliss 2. T – 1:50. A – 227.
 
Game Two – Southern 8, Southeastern Louisiana 6
Duhe led off the game with a bloop single to start Southeastern's first threat. Van Hook then lined a double off the left field fence to score Duhe and put the Lady Lions up, 1-0.
 
Southern answered with two runs in the bottom of the first off Southeastern junior Kati Morse (0-2). An RBI double by Shawntall Steamer and a run-scoring groundout by Kiah Williams put the Lady Jags on top, 2-1.
 
The score remained the same until the top of the fourth inning when Duhe struck again. A single by Elswick and a McCollum walk put a pair on with two outs. Duhe then launched a triple over the head of Southern centerfielder Danielle Jackson to put the Lady Lions ahead, 3-2.
 
Southern took advantage of three Southeastern errors in the next two innings to retake the lead. After five innings of play, the Lady Jaguars had pushed their advantage to 5-3.
 
Southeastern came right back in the top of the sixth inning. A two-run single by Gomez knotted the score, then Bliss gave the Lady Lions a 6-5 lead with her third double of the day.
 
Morse could not hold the lead, however, as Southern scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth. The Lady Jaguars took advantage of a Morse wild pitch and two errors by Van Hook to jump back on top, 8-6.
 
This time Southern would hold on, as a two-out single by McCollum was all the Lady Lions could manage in their last turn. Southern starter Carla Arismendi struck out Duhe to secure the complete-game win.
 
SLU – 100 203 0 – 6 12 5 (1-4)
SU – 200 213 x – 8 11 2 (1-5)
Morse and Bliss. Arismendi and Roller, Ost (4). W – Arismendi. L – Morse (0-2). 3B – SLU: Duhe. 2B – Van Hook, Bliss. T – 2:05. A – 233.
 
2012 Lion Classic Schedule
 
Friday, Feb. 10
 
Field One
Northern Illinois 8, Southern 4
Tennessee-Martin 6, Kansas 4
Northern Colorado 8, Tennessee-Martin 6
 
Field Two
Northern Colorado 11, Akron 10
Troy 8, Kansas 7
 
Field Three
Troy 9, Jackson State 0
Northern Illinois 9, Nicholls 8
 
Saturday, Feb. 11
 
Field One
Akron 8, Southeastern 3
Troy 3, Nicholls State 0
Kansas 11, Southeastern 0 (5 Innings)
Northern Colorado 6, Southeastern 5
 
Field Two
Northern Colorado 3, Jackson State 1
Jackson State 7, Southern 6
Troy 10, Northern Illinois 2
Northern Illinois 7, Tennessee-Martin 5
 
Field Three
Tennessee-Martin 5, Nicholls State 3
Akron 13, Southern 3 (6 Innings)
Kansas 5, Jackson State 3
 
Sunday, Feb. 12
 
Field One
Southeastern 10, Northern Illinois 2 (6 Innings)
Tennessee-Martin 9, Nicholls State 1 (6 Innings)
Southern 8, Southeastern 6
 
Field Two
Troy 9, Akron 2
Nicholls 5, Akron 1 – Game called in 7^th due to Akron Travel
Jackson State 10, Nicholls 2 (5 Innings)
 
Field Three
Kansas 1, Northern Colorado 0