Stephen F. Austin
Southeastern Lousiana
SFA Splits With Southeastern
3/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 29, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack softball team split its series-opening doubleheader against Southeastern Louisiana, dropping Game 1 before breaking out the bats for a 7-0 win in the second contest.
The split leaves SFA at 23-14 on the season and 10-4 in Southland Conference play, while Southeastern moves to 22-11 overall and 10-7 in league action.
After leaving several potential runs on the bases in the opener, SFA made the most of its chances in the second game, collecting eight hits and four RBI in the shutout win.
Monica Hirsch was hit by a pitch to lead things off for the Ladyjacks in the bottom of the first. Kendal Harper moved her to second with a sacrifice bunt. After a foul pop fly, Jessica Tullos plated Hirsch with a single to right field.
Freshman starter Lauren Luetge made the 1-0 lead hold up through the next three innings by holding the Lady Lions to one hit. She got some insurance in the bottom of the fourth when Tullos cranked her seventh home run of the season to lead off the inning. The solo shot moved her into a tie with Ashley Struchtemeyer for the team lead and gave SFA a 2-0 edge.
With Luetge cruising, the Ladyjacks scored three more runs in the fifth and put up two in the sixth to set the final score.
Hirsch started things in the fifth with a one-out single up the middle. She moved to second on an infield single by Harper, then both runners moved up a station on a double steal. Davis then laid down a bunt single right in front of the plate and beat the catcher's throw to score Hirsch. Harper snuck in behind the play for the second run of the inning. Two batters later, Briana Bishop lined a double to left-center, bringing Davis all the way around from first.
SFA put Hugie and Kim Daley on with a walk and a bean ball to start the sixth inning, and Michele Huffman moved them both into scoring position with a sac bunt. The next batter, Hirsch, reached on a bunt single. Harper then reached base when her fly ball to left field was dropped, allowing Garcia to score. Daley then scored the game's final run in the next at-bat when she came home on a wild pitch.
Tullos went 2-for-3 with two RBI to lead SFA at the plate. Hirsch and Bishop added two hits apiece, with Bishop driving in a run.
Luetge (8-3) worked all seven innings, allowing six hits and a walk with five strikeouts.
In a match-up featuring the top pitching staff in the Southland Conference (SFA) against the league's best-hitting team (Southeastern Louisiana), the bats won out in Game 1. Despite the fact that the Ladyjacks outhit the Lions, 8-7, SFA stranded eight runners and dropped a 4-0 decision.
Southeastern Louisiana jumped out to a 2-0 lead, thanks to three hits, including a pair of doubles in the first inning.
Benet Higgs led off the bottom half for SFA with a looper down the right-field line that she turned into a double with a head-first slide at second. But the Ladyjacks went down in order behind her to strand Higgs in scoring position.
In the bottom of the third, Higgs drew a two-out walk and moved to third on a single to left by Kendal Harper. Harper moved to second behind the throw, but both runners were stranded by an inning-ending strikeout.
The Lady Lions padded their lead with a two-run homer by Allyson McCubbins in the top of the fifth to go ahead, 4-0.
Kim Daley led off the bottom half with a double into the right-field corner. Pinch-runner Crystal Garcia moved to third on a ground-out, but the Lady Lions retired the next two batters to leave her one station away from home.
SFA put two more runners in scoring position in the sixth inning when Ashley Struchtemeyer hit a two-out double to left-center, moving Moriah Davis -- who had led off with a single -- to third. Kari Hugie drew a walk to load the bases, but Southeastern got a strikeout to end the inning.
Freshman Monika Covington (12-7) pitched and took the loss for SFA. She gave up four earned runs on seven hits without issuing a walk and struck out nine.
The series will conclude Sunday with the final game slated to begin at noon from SFA's Hoya Field.
-- SFA --
