Huntsville - Right fielder Erin Burford smacked a walk-off home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to give Sam Houston a 9-1 softball victory and a split with Southeastern Louisiana Saturday afternoon at the Bearkat Softball Complex.
The Lions won the opening game of the three-game set earlier Saturday 3-2.
The victory in the nightcap kept Sam Houston's post-season tournament hopes alive one more day. The Bearkats need to pass sixth place Northwestern State to earn a berth in the tournament Sam Houston will host in two weeks.
Sam Houston now stands 20-30 for the year and 12-13 in Southland Conference play.
Shortstop Hailey Wiginton went 2-for-7 on the day to up her career hit total to 204. She is two hits away from tying the all-time career record of 206 hits set by Lauren Boone.
Left fielder Alex Survant started the scoring in the nightcap with an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. The hit scored center fielder Tori Benavidez who also singled.
After the Lions knotted the score 1-1 in the top of the second, Sam Houston added three more runs on a two-run single by first baseman Kim Damian and a Southeastern Louisiana error to put the Kats up 4-1.
Shelby Lancaster (3-2) was the winning pitcher for Sam Houston, limiting Southeastern Louisiana to three hits.
In the first game, first baseman Tamra Ladnier broke open a scoreless deadlock with a three-run homer off the scoreboard in left field in the top of the fourth inning. The blast scored shortstop Katie Duhe who doubled and catcher Meghan Gomez to put the Lions up 3-0.
First baseman Kim Damian got a run back for the Bearkats in the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot, again off the scoreboard, to cut the margin to 3-1 A fourth inning double by Benavidez scored Wiginton to give SHSU a 4-1 lead.
Back-to-back singles by Survant and third baseman Shelbi Tucker to lead off the bottom of the seventh put Sam Houston in position to send the game to extra innings.
The two runners were sacrificed to second and third, respectively, and right fielder Erin Burford's sacrifice fly scored Survant. But the final Bearkat batter popped up and the Lions picked up the victory.
Bailey Zievert (4-1) was the game winner in the circle while Tomi Garrison (14-16) drew the loss. Survant went 3-for-3 to lead Sam Houston at the plate in the opener.
Sam Houston and Southeastern Louisiana will meet in the final game of the series Sunday at 12 noon. Sunday is "Senior Day" at the Bearkat softball complex.
