CLINTON, MISS – It took until the fifth inning in the fourth game of the tournament before a team scored a run on the top-ranked LSU Eunice defense.

But it was the Lady Bengal offense that helped LSUE advance to the title game after a 3-2 win over No.2 Phoenix College Friday afternoon in the winner’s bracket finals.

LSUE jumped out to a 2-0 first inning lead thanks to two Phoenix errors.

Lead-off hitter Brooke Thomas reached on an error, Brooke Ort singled to left and Tina Schulz singled to center to load the bases.

Kelsey Hollier lined out, but the throw back to first went wide and that allowed Thomas and Ort to cross home plate.

Phoenix closed the gap to 2-1 in the top of the fifth when Cheynne Adams reached on a hard hit to second and then scored on a double by Krystal Garcia.

The Lady Bengals responded with a run in the bottom of the inning when Kelsey Hollier walked and scored when Jaci Trahan hit a bullet past shortstop Darlene Valles.

Phoenix battled back with a solo home run by Valles off starter Kaylee Guidry and seemed poised to steal the win when Samantha Riojas doubled with two outs off reliever Tina Schulz.

But Schulz fanned pinch hitter Brittany Dvorak to end the inning and the Lady Bengal defense put down Phoenix in order to seal the seven-inning win.

Guidry earned the win as she struck out six, walked one and allowed two hits and three hitsbatsmen.

Schulz allowed one hit with one strikeout in 1.2 innings of work.

Ort went 1-for-4 with a run scored, while Schulz went 1-for-3. Hollier went 1-for-2 with a run scored and

Taylor went 1-for-2 with a walk.