Stephen F. Austin
North Texas
Ladyjacks Split With Mean Green
3/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 5, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack softball split Wednesday's non-conference doubleheader with North Texas, winning the first game, 5-2, then dropping Game 2 by a 3-2 count. The two-game split moves SFA's record to 12-10 on the season.
The Ladyjacks capitalized on a pair of Mean Green errors and got a solid pitching performance from freshman Monika Covington to collect the win in Game 1, despite being out-hit, 9-7.
Down, 1-0, in the third, SFA turned a fielding error by the North Texas shortstop into a two-out, three-run rally. Benet Higgs singled with one out to start things off, then moved to third two batters later on a base knock through the right side by Kendal Harper. Harper took second on the play. Briana Bishop then reached on the error, allowing Higgs to score and Harper to move to third. Bishop stole second, the Moriah Davis rapped a triple to right-center, scoring both runners to give SFA a 3-1 advantage.
The Ladyjacks added to their lead in the fifth, again making the most of a Mean Green error. Higgs led off with a single then moved around to third when Monica Hirsch reached on an error by the pitcher. Higgs scored when Harper, the next batter, lifted a sac fly to right field.
North Texas made it a 4-2 game with a run in the sixth, but SFA answered in the bottom half. Daley drew a one-out walk, then her pinch-runner, Candise Juarez, moved to third on a single by Kari Hugie. Juarez then scored on a wild pitch to set the final tally.
Covington (8-4) scattered nine hits over seven innings for her 11th complete-game performance of the season. She allowed one earned run with two walks and struck out 10.
In the second game, UNT again put up nine base hits, but the Ladyjacks could only manage three, leaving a trio of runners in scoring position.
The Mean Green scored an unearned run in the first, but SFA starter Lauren Luetge held them in check for the next four innings.
Meanwhile, the Ladyjacks put up a run each in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 2-1 lead. In the fourth, Harper led off by reaching on an infield error, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Bishop. Harper took third on a wild pitch, then scored in the next at-bat, when the third strike to Ashley Struchtemeyer got away from the UNT catcher, allowing her to reach base. Juarez pinch-ran for Struchtemeyer and moved to second on an infield single by Davis, but she was stranded there by back-to-back strikeouts.
SFA scratched again in the fifth. Michele Huffman got a one-out, infield single then stole second. The next batter, Hirsch, drew a walk, then they both moved up on a stolen base. Huffman beat the throw home on a fielder's choice by Harper in the next at-bat to give SFA the lead.
But North Texas used a pair of hits to put up two runs in the sixth and held on for the win.
Luetge (3-3) took the loss, allowing three runs - two earned - in five-and-a-third innings. She gave up six hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Hugie worked one-and-two-thirds in relief and held the Mean Green scoreless on three hits.
The Ladyjacks will return to the field this weekend when they travel to Stillwater, Okla., for the Oklahoma State Mizuno Classic.
-- SFA --
