Ladyjacks To Open Southland Season On Road
3/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 1, 2010
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack softball team will open Southland Conference play this week with a three-game series at Sam Houston State. The games were originally scheduled to be played in Nacogdoches, but have been moved to Huntsville due to heavy rains Monday. The series is scheduled to begin with a doubleheader Tuesday at 1 p.m. with Game 3 set for a 2 p.m. start on Wednesday.
The Ladyjacks (4-6) come into conference play with a head of steam, having won three of their last four games. SFA is coming off a 5-1 win at Houston Baptist on Wednesday.
The game saw senior Briana Bishop become the school's career RBI leader. She hit a pair of two-run homers, giving her 112 career runs driven in. The old record of 110 was held by Tara Hersey. Bishop also padded her career lead in home runs, as she now has 29.
Bishop now leads the Ladyjacks and ranks ninth in the Southland with a .357 batting average. Her four home runs and .821 slugging percentage lead the league. Sophomore shortstop Jessica Arana is batting .308 and is tied for the team lead with four runs scored.
SFA's trio of pitchers -- Angela White, Lauren Luetge and Monika Covington -- combined to issue just five hits and didn't allow an earned run against Houston Baptist. White (4-2), a freshman, picked up the win, giving her victories in each of her last four appearances. The Ladyjack staff has a 4.27 ERA.
After dropping eight of its first nine games to open the season, Sam Houston has won three straight. The Bearkats knocked off Missouri State on the final day of the North Texas Invitational, then swept a home doubleheader against Texas Southern last week.
Sam Houston (4-8) bats .260 as a team, which ranks fourth in the Southland. Hailey Wiginton's .455 average is second in the conference, and Amy Brown ranks 10th in the league with a .355 batting average. Brown leads the Bearkats with two home runs and eight RBI.
The Sam Houston pitching staff has a 3.73 ERA. Tomi Garrison's 2.38 ERA leads the rotation, as does her 2-1 record. Morgan Mikulin is 2-4 on the year and leads the team with 40.1 innings pitched and 27 strikeouts.
-- SFA --
