Stephen F. Austin
Mcneese State
SFA Rally Falls Short
4/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 18, 2007
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack softball team made a late push to win the series finale against McNeese State Wednesday but came up one run short in a 3-2 loss at Hoya Field. The loss leaves SFA at 18-27 for the season and 11-10 in Southland Conference play with nine SLC games remaining on the schedule.
McNeese took a 3-0 lead in its four-hit third inning. After that, SFA starter Debra Boles held the Cowgirls in check, but her offense failed to respond until the final two innings.
In the bottom of the sixth, third baseman Briana Bishop started a rally with her two-out double down the left field line. Boles hit next and reached on an error by the shortstop in just the third collegiate at-bat of her career - the first two came Tuesday, when she was 1-for-2. Bishop scored from second as the McNeese shortstop's throw was wild, rolling to the fence past the first-base dugout.
The next batter, second baseman Heather Hebert, put a charge into one and doubled off the wall in right-center. But Boles was cut down at the plate by a strong relay throw from the same shortstop whose error had put her on base to begin with, and the inning ended with SFA traling, 3-1.
The Ladyjacks shut McNeese down in the top of the seventh, ending the inning on a double play started by Bishop with a nice turn in the middle by Hebert.
First baseman Jessie Tullos led off the inning with a triple to right field. Three at-bats and two outs later, right fielder Kendal Harper hit a dribbler toward third base that was mishandled, extending the inning and allowing Tullos to score and bring SFA within a run of tying the game. But center fielder Benet Higgs grounded out to third to end the contest.
Boles allowed three earned runs on six hits and a walk with one strikeout in seven innings of work, as her record fell to 0-2 for the season.
The Ladyjacks will try to get back in the win column this weekend when they wrap up their final home stand of the season with a three-game set against Texas-San Antonio. The series will kick off Saturday with a doubleheader, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
- SFA -
