MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / October 18, 2000

LUTCHER – Three River Parishes alums showed Saturday afternoon that you can go home again.

Lutcher graduates Erin Hymel and Brandi Neal, now with Southeastern Louisiana, and Hahnville alum Kyna Boyer of Nicholls State each had standout performances as the Lady Lions and Lady Colonels split a softball doubleheader at the Lutcher Lady Bulldogs Diamond.

Boyer went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs as Nicholls State won the opener, 4-1. Neal went 1-for-3 and drove in the Lady Lions’ only run. She also made asliding catch of a pop-up near the third base dugout. Hymel started the gameand allowed two runs on three hits while striking out three in four innings.

“It felt really good to come back and see all the fans,” Hymel, a sophomore and one of the four starting pitchers on the Lady Lions staff, said.

Southeastern came back to take the second game, 11-2, as Neal went 2-for- 3 with two runs scored. Boyer was 0-for-2 but reached base twice.Neal, a teammate of Hymel’s on the 1998 Class 3A state championship team, is a junior shortstop for the Lady Lions after transferring from Gulf Coast Community College.

“I was nervous but it was fun,” Neal said of returning to her old high school field. “I felt I could have done better but we did alright.”Hymel retired the first two batters she faced in the first game. Neal helpedout with a sliding catch of Lori Duplechain’s pop-up in foul territory to end the second.

SLU was also held scoreless by the Lady Colonels’ Duffi Matherne despite putting seven runners on base over the first three innings. Stacey White ledoff the game with a double inside the left field line and Neal followed with a single to center. But Matherne came back to strike out the next threehitters to end the inning.

NSU broke through in the bottom half of the third as Matherne was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Boyer followed with a shot into the left-centerfield gap, plating the first run of the game. Julie Rodriguez led off the fourthfor the Lady Colonels with a single to center and came around to score on singles by Jill Chabert and Duplechain.

SLU cut into the lead in the top of the sixth. Kristy Menke led off with asingle to left and Rogillio followed with a double to left-center. Two outslater, White walked to load the bases. Neal then drew a walk, scoring Menketo make it 2-1.

NSU answered in the bottom of the inning as Nicole Stewart reached on an error with one out. Duplechain followed with a single off the glove of pitcherEmily Stelly. Matherne walked to load the bases and Boyer followed withsecond double of the game to center field, driving in Stewart and Duplechain for a 4-1 lead.

“It was nice getting to see a lot of familiar faces,” Boyer, a 1998 Hahnville graduate and a member of the Lady Tigers softball team, said. “It was niceto play for the hometown crowd. I saw the ball well and I got some goodpitches to hit.”SLU jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first in the second game.

White led off with a single to left and Neal followed with a walk. Dye thensingled to center with White scoring on an errant throw to the plate. Aground out by Brooke Kostic brought in Neal to make it 2-0. One out later,Heimbach singled to left to score Dye. Singles by Rogillio and Stelly scoredcourtesy runner Holly Kwieper, giving the Lady Lions a 4-0 lead.

Nicholls State got a run back in the top of the third as Jennifer Sladry and Sara Eads singled and Shauna Emola followed with a double with one out.

Southeastern answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning as Heimbach and Rogillio singled, Raleigh reached on an error and White singled.

Singles by Rodriguez and Stephanie Sasser brought NSU to within 7-2 in the fourth.

SLU broke the game open with four runs in the sixth off reliever Lori Blanco.

Neal led off with a single to right and Kostic walked one out later. Two wildpitches brought Neal home and sent Kostic to third. After a walk to Menke,Garsee singled to right to score Kostic. Rogillio, who had five hits in thedoubleheader, followed with a single to left. Stelly then lined a single off theleft field wall, scoring two more runs.

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