Lady Wolves Bombard Southeast Arkansas in Season Opener

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The Co-Lin Softball team took to the road for the 2024 season opener facing off against Southeast Arkansas. The defending National Champion Lady Wolves unleashead an offensive barrage en route to a sweep of the Sharks taking game one, 31-1, setting school records in the game for runs, hits, and margin of victory then followed that with a 17-0 game two win.

GAME ONE

The Lady Wolves wasted no time jumping ahead of the Sharks as they scored 12 runs in the first inning highlighted by a two-run home run by Abby Grace Richardson (Brookhaven). Richardson finished the first inning with three RBIs as she also had an RBI double in the inning while Madison Moak collected a pair of hits with a double and triple along with one RBI and Zykeria Cole (Magee) collected two hits with a single, double, and two RBIs. The Lady Wolves also got RBIs from Olivia Banes (Pelahatchie), Bailee Goodson (Brookhaven), Kynlee Madere (Paulina, LA), Kinley Ainsworth (Brandon), and Emeri Warren (Sebastopol) in the inning.

The Lady Wolves added a pair of runs as Goodson and Emma Kate Fimiano (Petal) scored on a two-RBI single by Maddie Bruner (Brandon) making the score, 14-0. The Sharks then took advantage of back-to-back hits in the top of the second to score their only run of the game making the score, 14-1.

The Lady Wolves then added 13 runs in the third inning highlighted by Richardson's second home run of the game, this time a grand slam, while Goodson, Madere, and Banes had an RBI in the inning. Carson Hughey (Brookhaven) added two RBIs while Moak got in on the home run action with a three-run home run to score the final runs of the inning and increase the lead to 27-1.

The Lady Wolves added a pair of runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings as Warren and Banes collected RBIs in the fourth while Madere and Cole had RBIs in the fifth to make the lead 31-1. The Lady Wolves then retired the Sharks in order in the bottom of the third with three strikeouts to secure the 31-1 victory.

Every member of the starting lineup for the Lady Wolves had at least one hit and one RBI as they accounted for 29 hits in the game. Zykeria Cole led the going 5-for-5 at the plate with four doubles and three RBIs. Madison Moak hit for the cycle for the Lady Wolves going 4-for-5 with four RBIs while Abby Grace Richardson had a monster game going 4-for-5 with one double and two home runs with seven RBIs. Kynlee Madere, Bailee Goodson, and Olivie Banes had three hits and three RBIs apiece while Kinley Ainsworth and Emeri Warren had two hits each with Ainsworth recording one RBI while Warren had two. Carson Hughey, Maddie Bruner, and Avery Williams (Olive Branch) had one hit apiece with Hughey adding one RBI while Bruner had two.

Cara Biswell (Brandon) got the start and earned a no-decision while pitching one inning with three strikeouts. Karley Rouse (D'Iberville) pitched two innings of relief allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts while Emily Richarde (Lakeland, TN) picked up the win in relief for her first collegiate win. Richarde pitched two innings of scoreless and hitless relief with one walk and four strikeouts.

GAME TWO

The Lady Wolves started game two off with 13 runs in the first inning highlighted by a three-RBI triple for Madison Moak and two-run home run for Abby Grace Richardson, her third of the doubleheader. Zykeria Cole, Olivia Banes, and Bailee Goodson all had one RBI in the inning while Kynlee Madere had two RBIs.

The Lady Wolves added one run in the third inning as Madere scored on an RBI groundout by Cole to give the Lady Wolves a 14-0 lead while the lead then grew to 16-0 with a two-RBI single by Taylor Efferson (Holden, LA) in the fourth inning. The final run for the Lady Wolves came in the fifth inning as Emma Kate Fimiano scored on an RBI single by Sarah Grace Smith (Crystal Springs). Fimiano then got a pair of strikeouts with a groundout sandwiched between them in the bottom half of the fifth to seal the 17-0 game two win and sweep for the Lady Wolves.

The Lady Wolves had 14 hits in game two with Kynlee Madere leading the way going 3-for-3. Kinley Ainsworth and Zykeria Cole had two hits apiece while Madison Moak, Avery Williams, Taylor Efferson, Abby Grace Richardson, Sarah Grace Smith, Bailee Goodson, and Karley Rouse had one hit each. Moak led the Lady Wolves with three RBIs while Madere, Efferson, Richardson, and Olivia Banes had two RBIs each with Smith, Goodson, and Emeri Warren adding one RBI apiece.

Keegan McCorkle (Tyronza, AR) got her first collegiate win in her first collegiate pitching two innings allowing one hit with one walk and four walks. Laney Waguespack (Bayou Gauche, LA), Taylor Efferson, and Emma Kate Fimiano pitched one inning of relief each with Waguespack and Efferson having one strikeout each while Fimiano had a pair of strikeouts.

Co-Lin is now 2-0 on the season and will return to action at the Hinds JUCO Classic on Saturday, February 24. The Lady Wolves will take on No. 4 Parkland in a rematch from last year's NJCAA DII World Series at 11 a.m., and then will face off against Baton Rouge at 4 p.m., at Sports Force Park in Vicksburg.