Stephen F. Austin
Northwestern State
Northwestern Nips Ladyjacks
5/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 4, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Northwestern State's Amanda Johnson hit a two-out, two-strike home run in the top of the seventh inning, and the Demons took a 4-3 come-from-behind win over Stephen F. Austin Sunday in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Northwestern State entered the seventh trailing SFA, 3-1, but Johnson's two-run homer tied the count, then the Demons took the lead with a double and an RBI single. The Ladyjacks got a two-out single by sophomore Kendal Harper in the seventh but couldn't tie the game.
With the loss, SFA moves to 33-23 on the season with an 18-11 mark in Southland Conference play. The Ladyjacks enter next week's SLC Tournament as the No. 4 seed and will open tournament play Thursday afternoon, after a first-round bye.
SFA opened a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Harper doubled down the left-field line, then stole third. She came home on a sacrifice fly to center by junior Moriah Davis.
The Ladyjacks scored two more runs in the third, again with Harper as the catalyst. She put down a bunt with one out and reached on an error. Davis singled to left in the next at-bat, moving Harper to second. She came around to score when the next batter, senior Jessica Tullos, singled up the middle. Sophomore Briana Bishop then singled through the left side, bringing Davis across the plate. Bishop and Tullos moved to second and third, respectively, on a throwing error, but were stranded in scoring position by a line-out and a pop-up.
The Ladyjacks had just three hits over the final four innings and left two runners on base.
Freshman Monika Covington started and pitched six-and-two-thirds innings in taking the loss. She allowed four earned runs on eight hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in falling to 17-12 on the season.
-- SFA --
