Stephen F. Austin
Louisiana Tech
SFA Splits On First Day At Aggie Invite
3/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 6, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Junior Briana Bishop went 5-for-6 with three home runs and drove in seven runs Friday, as Stephen F. Austin split in a pair of games at the Texas A&M Aggie Invitational.
The Ladyjacks routed Kent State in the opener before falling victim to a late Louisiana Tech rally in the afternoon game to move to 8-13 on the season.
Bishop went 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double in the Ladyjacks' 11-2 win over Kent State in the early game. The College Station native drove in six of SFA's 11 runs and scored three times in the five-inning blowout.
The Ladyjacks jumped out to a 7-0 lead through two innings with three runs in the first and four runs in the second. SFA put up six of its 13 hits in its first two turns at bat.
Sophomore Monica Hirsch led off the game with a walk. She would eventually score from third on a one-out single by freshman Kayla Gutowski. Bishop ripped a double to right-center in the next at-bat, putting two runners in scoring position. After a strikeout, Jessica Arana drew a two-out walk to load the bases for Ashley Struchtemeyer. The sophomore delivered with a base knock to right, scoring two runs to give SFA a 3-0 advantage.
In the second, Hirsch reached on an error to lead off, then Harper and Gutowski chased her with bunt singles, bringing Bishop to the plate with the bases loaded. She blasted a grand slam to right-center to stake SFA to a 7-0 lead.
The Ladyjacks added a run in the fourth when senior Benet Higgs singled to center field, bringing Candise Juarez home from second. Juarez had come on to run for Struchtemeyer, who gave SFA its first runner with a single up the middle.
Kent State answered with a two-run homer in the bottom half, but SFA was back on the attack in the top of the fifth. Harper led off with an infield single then scored on a triple to right field by Gutowski. Bishop then launched her second home run of the game, this one to center field, setting the final margin.
Sophomore Monika Covington (7-6) started and worked all five innings for SFA. She allowed two earned runs on six hits and posted five strikeouts without issuing a walk.
In the day's second game, SFA put up eight hits against Louisiana Tech but left seven runners stranded in a 7-2 loss. The score was tied at two through five innings, but the Techsters broke through with five runs on six hits in the final two frames.
The Ladyjacks got out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Hirsch led off with a single, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Harper. She came around to score on an infield single by Kim Daley.
Louisiana Tech struck back in the third on a solo home run by Amberly Waits. The Techsters took their first lead of the game with another extra-base hit by Waits in the top of the fifth. This time it was a double, scoring Emma Barnes from second.
Bishop crushed her third home run of the day in the bottom half to tie the score. But SFA mustered just one hit -- a single by Harper -- in its final six outs and couldn't match Louisiana Tech's late surge.
Sophomore Lauren Luetge (2-6) worked five-and-two-thirds innings and was charged with the loss. She allowed four earned runs on eight hits, struck out three and walked two.
Senior Karie Hugie was charged with three runs in an inning and a third. She allowed three hits and a walk.
The Ladyjacks will continue play in the Aggie Invitational with a pair of games Saturday. SFA takes on Kent State again in the 10 a.m. game and will square off with Utah at 12:15.
-- SFA --
