Tom Dodge
LSU Eunice’s sixth NJCAA Division II softball national championship was an impressive showing as the Lady Bengals finished the postseason undefeated for the first time in program history.
“We had pitchers Heather Zumo and Jensen Howell dominating in the circle,” former LSUE head coach Andy Lee said. “Pitching probably carried us the most that year.”
“You have to be great in the circle and you have timely hits and a complete team chemistry.
The 2019 team finished with an impressive 52-6 record, the seventh time LSUE had 50 wins or more in a season.
“I enjoyed being around them and I was proud to see them win,” Lee said. “They worked hard and good things happened.”
LSUE rolled through the Region 23 tournament with a 7-2 victory over Pearl River Community College followed by a 5-2, 7-3 sweep over Itawamba Community College.
The Lady Bengals survived a first round scare with a 3-2 victory over 16-seed Hagerstown in the national tournament in Clinton, Mississippi.
Zumo kept LSUE alive with six solid innings in the circle, scattering two runs off two hits and three walks while striking out seven batters.
Howell would pitch an inning of relief in the fifth before Zumo re-entered the game for the final two frames.
After HCC took the lead off two errors in the second, Sara Tate’s sacrifice fly scored pinch runner Kailey LeFrere to force a tie.
HCC regained the lead in the fifth, but Kelci Bodin played hero by scoring a pair on a deep sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning as LSUE regained the lead for good.
Zumo used a sixth inning double play to squash another Hagerstown threat then sat down the side in order in the seventh to secure the win.
In the second round, LSUE recorded a pair of crucial home runs in a 5-0 victory over No. 9 Johnson County, the Bengals’ ninth shutout of the season.
Madison Monson’s solo home run and Abbey Higginbotham’s three-run blast were more than enough as Howell struck out the first six batters she faced and would also squash a third inning bases loaded threat.
Howell scattered five hits and one walk while finishing with nine strikeouts.
Zumo would throw two relief frames, grabbing her fourth save of the year after allowing just one hit and getting out of a no-out bases loaded jam in the sixth.
Monson paced the 8-hit attack with a three hit afternoon, driving in an insurance run in the seventh with a double to bring in Kelci Bodin.
The Lady Bengals’ run in the tournament continued with a 7-1 win over Highland Community College.
Monson belted a 2-run home run in the opening inning that gave the Bengals some breathing room with a RBI in the fifth.
A critical three-run fourth inning helped LSUE keep the Scotties at bay, highlighted by Lexi-Jo DeBarge’s solo home run to make it 6-1 after four innings.
The duo of Zumo and Howell kept Highland on its heels, combining for 11 strikeouts.
Lexi-Jo DeBarge enjoyed a perfect 3-for-3 game to lead the LSUE offense.
Two early runs were all LSUE would need in a thrilling 2-1 victory over Phoenix to secure a championship game berth.
Bodin provided the early offense with a solo home run in the first inning.
Monson singled and a DeBarge bunt gave the Lady Bengals a 2-0 lead.
Phoenix loaded the bases with one out in the second inning, but Howell recorded a force out at home followed by one of her four strikeouts to get out of the inning.
The Lady Bears would score their only run of the game in the fourth inning off a sacrifice fly.
LSUE face one more threat in the final inning as Phoenix connected on a one-out triple.
Howell would induce two of her 14 ground outs to help the Lady Bengals clinch their finals berth.
In a rematch with Phoenix in the championship game, LSUE pounded three early home runs as the Lady Bengals rolled to a 10-5 win and their sixth national title.
Monson delivered the early fireworks with a towering two-run home run to give LSUE the early 2-0 lead.
It was Monson’s team best 14th home run of the season and third of the tournament.
Phoenix answered with two runs in the bottom of the first, capitalizing on an error and sacrifice fly.
LSUE seized control for good an inning later as Bodin crushed a grand slam and Higginbotham followed two batters later with a two-run shot to help the Lady Bengals take an 8-2 lead.
Phoenix scored three runs in the second inning and chasing LSUE starter Zumo from the game.
Lauren Parson would get out of the second inning before giving way for Howell.
Howell continued her week long dominance in the circle, scattering four hits while strikeout out seven batters in five innings of relief.
LSUE added a pair of insurance runs with an Abbey Higginbotham RBI single in the fourth and Lele Martinez’s RBI double in the fifth inning.
Bodin earned Most Valuable Player honors for the tournament after batting .313 in LSUE's five games.
Bodin finished with 8 RBIs, four runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and three stolen bases.
Howell improved to 22-3 on the season, earning Most Outstanding Pitcher after going 2-0 with a save and a 0.33 earned run average.
Howell struck out 26 batters over the week while issuing just three walks.
“The girls just came to play – we got some big hits off a great pitcher and our team just refused to lose,” Lee said after the game.
“I’m proud of every one of them, they worked extremely hard and that was a moment they will remember for the rest of their lives.”