First place McNeese State and third place Sam Houston State split a Southland Conference softball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Bearkat Softball Complex.

The Cowgirls run-ruled the Bearkats 10-0 in the opener. Sam Houston bounced back for a 9-3 win in the nightcap. The rubber game of the series begins at 1 p.m. Sunday.

McNeese State now stands 39-12 for the year and 17-4 in Southland action. Sam Houston is 30-20 for 2013 and 15-8 in league play.

McNeese totaled 10 runs on 10 hits and two Bearkat errors in the first game. The Cowgirls scored one in the first, five in the second and three in the third on the way to run-rule victory.

Catcher Ashley Modezelewski went 3-for-4 with four RBIs including a triple. Center fielder Alanna DiVittorio was 2-for-3 with a solo home run.

Pitcher Jamie Allread (17-4) retired 15 of the 18 batters she faced while holding the Kats to two hits. Meme Quinn (10-6) took the loss in the pitching circle.

The Bearkat bats got hot in the nightcap as Sam Houston produced 15 hits. Third baseman Shelbi Tucker went 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs in the victory.

Shortstop Tiffany Castillo put up Sam Houston's first run of the day with a solo shot over the center field fence to tie the second game 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning. The home run was Castillo's eighth of the season.

Tucker's bunt single kept the inning alive. The senior third baseman scored on an infield single by centerfielder Tori Benavidez to give the Kats a 2-1 lead after two.

Sam  Houston added two more in the bottom of the third as Kim Damian put her eighth home run of the season over the right field fence and second baseman Alysaa Coggins brought in a run with a bases loaded walk.

The Cowgirls added a solo run in the top of the fourth, but Sam Houston answered with an RBI double by Shelbi Tucker and a run-scoring single to extend the Kats' lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth.

Tucker added a three-run round-tripper in the bottom of the sixth, the third baseman's fifth home run of the year.