Stephen F. Austin
A&M-Corpus
SFA Splits With Islanders
3/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 21, 2009
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Stephen F. Austin extended its season-best win streak to seven games before dropping a 7-3 decision at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, as the Ladyjacks split in their series-opening doubleheader Saturday.
SFA began the day with an 8-2 win, and the split pushed the Ladyjacks' record to 18-15 on the season with an 8-3 mark in SLC play.
The Ladyjacks jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning of the opener, using four hits and a Corpus Christie error to pad their advantage. The first three batters of the inning, Amber Price, Kendal Harper and Kayla Gutowski, hit safely, with Harper's RBI triple highlighting the inning. Ashley Struchtemeyer also singled in the inning.
The Islanders countered with two runs on a pair of doubles in the fourth inning, but SFA put the game away with four more runs in the top of the sixth. Four straight one-out singles by Crystal Garcia, Price, Harper and Gutowski got the inning started right. Gutowski's base knock drove in two runs, and two more came across on wild pitches.
Sophomore Monika Covington moved to 12-7 with the complete-game win. She spread five hits and two earned runs over seven innings with four strikeouts and no walks.
In the second game, A&M-Corpus staked itself to a 6-0 lead with two runs in the first and four in the third. The Islanders put up three hits and took advantage of an SFA error in the first. In the third, A&M-Corpus banged out five hits to give itself a big lead.
The Ladyjacks scored a run in each of the next three innings but couldn't overcome the early deficit.
SFA put up a score in the fourth, when Kim Daley led off with a triple and scored on a Jessica Arana base hit. In the fifth inning, Daley came through with an RBI single to score pinch-runner Candise Juarez. Struchtemeyer led off the sixth with a double, then pinch-runner Michele Huffman would eventually score on a bunt by Garcia.
The Islanders added a run in the bottom half, then held SFA scoreless in the seventh to collect the win.
Sophomore Lauren Luetge (6-7) worked all six innings in a losing effort, allowing six earned runs on 12 hits and two walks with one strikeout.
Gutowski hit safely in both games, extending her current hitting streak to 21 straight contests.
The Ladyjacks and Islanders will conclude their series Sunday with a single game set to begin at noon.
-- SFA --
