Stephen F. Austin
Texas State
Bobcats Edge SFA
4/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 26, 2009
SAN MARCOS, Texas - Sunday provided the second showdown in as many days between Stephen F. Austin's Monika Covington and Texas State's Chandler Hall, two of the top pitchers in the Southland Conference. And, for the second time in as many days, the two hurlers dueled to an exciting, low-scoring finish. Only this time, Hall came out on top, as teammate Alex Newton's lead-off home run in the bottom of the first proved to be enough for a 1-0 Bobcat win, giving Texas State at 2-1 series victory.
The win clinches at least a share of Texas State's second straight SLC championship and leaves the Ladyjacks in a battle for second place with three league games remaining. SFA moved to 27-24 on the season and 16-11 in SLC play with the defeat, while the Bobcats improved to 34-15 overall with a 21-7 league mark.
In Sunday's game, Newton accounted for two of the four hits Covington allowed. But with Hall holding SFA to just three base knocks and one walk, Newton's first hit was all Texas State would need.
After a one-two-three top of the first for SFA, Newton took the third pitch she saw over the wall in left field for what proved to be the game-winning homer. Hall singled two at-bats later, but Covington struck out the side to keep the lead at one run. She would not allow another base hit until fourth, but the damage was done.
SFA failed to get a runner on base in the first three innings, before finally getting something going in the fourth. Crystal Garcia broke up Hall's perfect game with a one-out infield single. She moved to second when Kayla Gutowski drew a walk behind her, then both runners moved into scoring position on a ground ball by Briana Bishop. Hall escaped the inning with another ground-out.
The Bobcats loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half of the fourth. But Bishop fielded a ground ball at third and cut down the lead runner at the plate to keep SFA within a run, then Covington got a strikeout to escape the inning.
SFA went quietly in the fifth before threatening again in the top of the sixth. Benet Higgs led off with a bunt single, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kendal Harper. Higgs took third on a ground ball to the right side by Garcia, but she was stranded there on an inning-ending fly ball.
Ashley Struchtemeyer got a one-out base hit to right-center in the Ladyjack seventh, but pinch-runner Amber Price was stranded at first by successive pop-ups to end the game.
Covington moved to 18-12 on the season with the loss. She recorded eight strikeouts against the four hits and three walks she allowed.
The Ladyjacks will be back in action Wednesday when they host Louisiana-Monroe in a non-conference doubleheader. The first game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. SFA will wrap up the regular season with a three-game home series against UTSA. The Ladyjacks were tied with the Roadrunners for second place in the SLC heading into Sunday's action.
-- SFA --
