Stephen F. Austin
Oklahoma
No. 4 Oklahoma Tops Ladyjacks
2/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 18, 2009
NORMAN, Okla. - Stephen F. Austin belted two home runs and held a lead on multiple occasions in Wednesday's doubleheader at No. 4 Oklahoma, but the Sooners came away with a pair of wins.
Oklahoma took a 4-3 verdict in extra innings in the opener, then notched a 3-1 victory in the nightcap to improve to 8-2 on the season. The Ladyjacks move to 3-9 with the pair of losses.
In Game 1, SFA led three times before a two-run eighth inning gave Oklahoma the decision.
The Ladyjacks jumped in front on a lead-off home run by freshman Amber Price in the top of the third. The long ball was the first of Price's career and went out to the opposite field, in right.
Oklahoma's Dani Dobbs drew a one-out walk in the bottom half, but SFA escaped the inning on a double play started by third baseman Briana Bishop.
SFA went down in order in the fourth, and the Sooners tied the score on an RBI single by Lindsey Vandever. Evan Sallis scored, unearned, on the play after stealing second and taking third on a throwing error.
Both teams went quietly in the fifth, but SFA took advantage of a Sooner mistake to pull back ahead by a run in the sixth. Junior Kendal Harper singled with one out then went from first to third when Oklahoma mis-played a ground ball off the bat of freshman Jessica Arana.
The next batter, freshman Kayla Gutowski, brought Harper home in front of the throw on a fielder's choice that left SFA with runners at first and second with one out. But the Ladyjacks left both runner stranded.
In the bottom half, SFA starter Monika Covington retired the Sooners in order for the second straight inning, but the Ladyjacks were unable to pad their lead in the seventh. Junior Karissa Jones led off with a double, and pinch-runner Crystal Garcia advanced to third when the next batter, senior Kim Daley, reached base on an error. Monica Hirsch, who came in to run for Daley, would eventually take second on a ground-out by Price, but Oklahoma got out of the inning on a strikeout, stranding both runners in scoring position.
The Sooners tied the score in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out, pinch-hit single by Katie Norris, sending the game into extra innings. Wednesday's game marked the third time in the first 11 games of the season for SFA to go past regulation.
The Ladyjacks began the top of the eighth with Harper on second. She moved to third when Arana reached base on a fielder's choice. SFA loaded the bases when Gutowski drew a walk. Following a pop-up on the infield, sophomore Ashley Struchtemeyer lifted a fly ball to right field. The ball was deep enough to allow Harper to score on a throwing error, giving SFA its third one-run lead of the day.
In the bottom half, a fielder's choice and a walk loaded the bases with no outs for Oklahoma. From there, the Sooners got back-to-back RBI singles -- just their fourth and fifth hits of the game -- to take the victory.
Covington (2-3) finished with two earned runs on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts.
In the second game, Oklahoma got out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning and held on to take a 3-1 win.
The Sooners got back-to-back, two-out doubles from Samantha Ricketts and Vandever to go ahead, 2-0, in the third inning. Oklahoma added to its lead with run in the fourth.
SFA answered with a lead-off homer by Daley in the top of the fifth.
Oklahoma appeared poised to extend its lead in the bottom half when Amber Flores led off with a double. That got Covington out of the bullpen to replace Game 2 starter Lauren Luetge. Covington retired the next two batters on strikes, then got out of the inning on a fly ball.
A single by Jones in the top of the seventh provided SFA's only baserunner over the final two innings.
Luetge (1-4) was charged with three earned runs on six hits and a walk after working four-plus innings. Covington worked two innings in relieve, holding Oklahoma to one hit with two strikeouts.
Harper and Jones recorded two hits apiece in the two-game set.
The Ladyjacks will return to action on Tuesday, Feb. 24, when they open Southland Conference play with a three-game series at Sam Houston State. The series will begin with a doubleheader on Tuesday, starting at 3 p.m. and conclude with a single game Wednesday, slated for a 4 p.m. start.
-- SFA --
