MONROE, La. – SIUE softball opened the scoring early, but a swift offensive charge gave Evansville an 11-3 victory Sunday in the final game of the Best of the Bayou Classic.

"This was another tough day conditions-wise," said SIUE Interim Head Coach P.J. Finigan. "We got off to a good start scoring one in the first inning."

The Cougars, 2-3, took advantage of an infield error off the bat of Lauren Yslava to score Lexi King.

SIUE would tally two more runs in the fourth on another Evansville error that brought home Piper Montgomery. Aerin Talley, who had singled to reach base, scored on a Jenna Herron single.

Evansville, now 5-0, bounced back after three scoreless innings from SIUE starting pitcher Mia Haynes. The Purple Aces scored five runs in the fourth and six more in the fifth inning.

"Mia pitched great and didn't get much help defensively," said Finigan. "Once they got it rolling offensively, we couldn't stop the bleeding."

For the opening weekend, SIUE hit .274 as a team. Grace Lueke led the way with a .400 batting average that included two home runs and six RBIs.

"Overall it was great to play against someone else," said Finigan. "We have a lot of things to work on, but we are better off than where we started."

Next up for the Cougars is the Chattanooga Challenge next Friday through Sunday, facing Radford, Chattanooga, Indiana State and Northwestern State.