Stephen F. Austin
Centenary College
SFA Rally Falls Short
3/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 28, 2007
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Kari Hugie just missed her chance to tie the score Wednesday, when a hard-charging Centenary right fielder snagged her pinch-hit line drive to close the book on Stephen F. Austin's 4-3 loss to Centenary at Hoya Field. The tough defensive effort stalled a two-out rally that had started two batters earlier on a home run by Briana Bishop.
The non-conference loss dropped SFA's overall record to 12-21, while Centenary evened its mark at 15-15.
SFA took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Benet Higgs led off with a walk, took second on a groundout, then moved to third on a fly ball to left. She scored on a wild pitch.
That one run would have been enough for Ladyjack starter Ashley Wilburn, if not for a rocky sixth inning. Allison Shepperd led off the frame with a double for the Ladies. She headed for third on a ground ball back to Wilburn in the next at-bat, but Wilburn's throw got away from SFA third baseman Briana Bishop, allowing Shepperd to trot home.
The Ladyjacks got two outs in the next three at-bats, but a single and double by Centenary pushed three more runs across, all unearned.
SFA went hitless in the bottom half, then put the heat on in the seventh. Bishop's homer sparked the Ladyjack lineup. The next batter, Wilburn, singled to left, chasing Ryan Thacker from the circle in favor of Kelsey Greeson. Michele Huffman, who ran for Wilburn, took second on a passed ball, then moved to third when Greeson was called for a balk. She balked again two pitches later, walking Jessica Tullos and bringing Huffman home to make it a 4-3 game.
The next batter, Heather Hebert, singled down the left field line moving pinch-runner Candise Juarez into scoring position. That's when SFA coach Jenifer Wells called on Hugie to pinch hit. She turned Greeson's offering around on a line, but right fielder Micah Rhodes turned in a nice defensive play to end the game.
Wilburn (5-11) finished with four runs, none of them earned, in seven innings pitched. She gave up six hits and three walks and struck out three.
The Ladyjacks will be back in action this weekend, when they host Central Arkansas in a Southland Conference series. SFA will open the series with a doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 1 p.m. The day has been dubbed "Goin' to Bat for Burney," in honor of Ladyjack Krystil Burney, who is recovering from Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The SFA softball and baseball programs are sponsoring several donation opportunities and prize giveaways to raise awareness in the fight against Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
- SFA -
