JACKSON, Miss. – The SIUE softball team completed the first day of competition at the Jackson State Tournament with a 7-0 victory over Southeastern Louisiana Friday night at the JSU Softball Complex.

"We played with a lot more energy and desire this game," Head Coach Sandy Montgomery said.  "I feel better about our offense and a lot better about our demeanor and how we approached the game."

The Cougars (2-9) jumped out to an early lead against the Lady Lions (2-4), scoring in each of the first three innings.

Freshman Allison Smiley started things off by hitting the first home run of her SIUE career, giving the Cougars a 2-0 lead with a two-run blast in the bottom of the first inning.

"We played well as a team," Smiley said.  "We had a bunch of energy, we fed off each other, and we got the win."

Chelsea Yankolovich made it 3-0 in the second inning with an RBI single before Alex McDavid scored via a wild pitch and Rachel Coonrod delivered an RBI double in the third to extend the Cougars' lead to 5-0.

Brittany Toney added some insurance with an RBI single to plate Yankolovich in the sixth inning.

"We were much more aggressive at the plate," Montgomery said.  "Everybody was putting the ball in play and moving runners.  That's what you have to do to win ball games."

In the circle, Erin Greenwalt tossed a complete game shutout, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out seven.  The senior moves to 1-2 on the year.

The Cougars will be back in action Saturday, playing the second of two back-to-back games against Southeastern Louisiana at 12:15 p.m. before taking on tournament host Jackson State at 2:45 p.m.

"This game is all about confidence," Montgomery added.  "Our players should be feeling better about themselves.  We just need to keep playing hard and keep getting better."