Stephen F. Austin
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Mississippi State
SFA Falls Twice At Mississippi State
2/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 14, 2010
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The second day of Stephen F. Austin's 2010 season went much the same as the first, with the Ladyjacks failing to generate offense in consecutive losses to Alabama-Birmingham and Mississippi State Sunday. SFA closed out the Bulldog Round-Robin with an 8-1 defeat against UAB and a 5-0 loss to Mississippi State.
The losses move SFA to 0-4 on the season.
SFA was within striking distance against UAB in the first game until the Blazers posted a five-run sixth inning to put the game away.
The Ladyjacks spotted UAB a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run homer by Cameron Skates. SFA starter Angela White allowed two hits over the next three innings but worked around trouble to hold the Blazers to their two-run lead.
SFA got on the board in the fifth inning, when sophomore Kayla Gutowski got a two-out, RBI single to right field, scoring classmate Jessica Arana. Arana had led off with a single then moved to third on a sac bunt by Kendal Harper and a ground ball by Michele Huffman.
But the Blazers answered with a run in the bottom half to keep their two-run margin, then chased a scoreless SFA sixth with the game's biggest inning. UAB scored five runs on four hits -- all singles -- and three walks to set the final margin.
The Ladyjacks went down in order in the top of the seventh.
White (0-2) was touched for eight earned runs on 10 hits and five walks. She recorded two strikeouts.
Arana went 2-for-3 with a run scored to lead SFA at the plate. Gutowski, Kendal Harper, Ashley Struchtemeyer and Bethany Brown each hit safely once, with Struchtemeyer smacking a double to lead off the fourth.
In Game 2, the Bulldogs' Kylie Vry tossed a no-hitter, allowing just two walks and one runner who reached on an error in the Mississippi State win.
Mississippi State got a two-out home run from Brittany Bell in the top of the first to stake itself to a 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs strung together two singles and a double to put up two more runs in the third inning, then set the final score in the top of the fifth with a two-run homer by Kaili Smith.
Struchtemeyer led off the bottom half with what was initially scored an infield single but was later changed to an error, preserving Vry's no-hitter. SFA was unable to capitalize on the base-runner.
Junior Monika Covington (0-2) started and pitched all seven innings for SFA. She was charged with five earned runs on 10 hits and recorded two strikeouts.
The Ladyjacks will be back in action Wednesday, when they open the new SFA Softball Field with a home doubleheader against North Texas. First pitch against the Mean Green is scheduled for 2 p.m.
-- SFA --
