Stephen F. Austin
Notre Dame
Notre Dame Edges Ladyjacks
2/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 21, 2010
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Stephen F. Austin played Notre Dame to a scoreless tie through five innings but left six runners stranded in a 3-0 loss to the Irish Sunday on the final day of the Southern Miss Mizuno Classic. The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Ladyjacks.
SFA moves to 3-6 on the year, while Notre Dame improves to 4-4.
The Ladyjacks were also scheduled to meet host team Southern Miss Sunday afternoon, but the game was canceled after early morning rains pushed the day's start back two hours.
SFA starter Monika Covington allowed only two hits through the first five innings and faced just three batters over the minimum in holding the Irish scoreless. But Notre Dame broke through in the sixth with a single and a two-out homer to go ahead, 2-0. The Irish added an insurance run in the top of the seventh with a leadoff triple, followed by a wild pitch.
Meanwhile, the Ladyjacks left a runner on third in the fifth, wasting Kayla Gutowski's leadoff double, then left three on base in the bottom of the seventh. SFA got three straight singles from Briana Bishop, Ashley Struchtemeyer and Gutowski to load the bases with no outs. But a pop foul followed by two strikeouts ended the Ladyjacks' best threat of the day.
Gutowski was 2-for-3 to lead SFA at the plate. Kendal Harper added a leadoff single in the first to give the Ladyjacks five base knocks in the game.
Covington (0-4) was charged with three earned runs on six hits and a walk. She posted a season-high 10 strikeouts.
The Ladyjacks will be back in action Tuesday, when they travel to College Station for a doubleheader against Texas A&M. The first game is set to begin at 3 p.m. SFA will play a doubleheader at Houston Baptist the following night.
-- SFA --
