Stephen F. Austin
Southeastern La.
SFA Rips Lions
4/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 17, 2010
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NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack softball team climbed back to within a half game of a share of the Southland Conference lead Saturday with a series-opening doubleheader sweep against Southeastern Louisiana at SFA Field. The Ladyjacks held the Southeastern bats in check, winning the opener, 9-1, in five innings and taking a 3-0 verdict in Game 2.
With the sweep, SFA moves to 23-12 on the year with a 15-5 record that is just one win shy of tying first-place Texas State. The Bobcats are idle this weekend. Southeastern, which came into the series as the last-place team in the Southland, falls to 9-27 overall and 2-16 in league play.
Karissa Jones went 4-for-5 with five RBI in the two games combined to lead an offensive effort that saw the Ladyjacks put up 18 hits and outscore the Lions, 12-1.
After giving up a run in the top of the first, SFA took advantage of a pair of Southeastern errors early in Game 1 to build a lead, then steadily pulled away for a run-rule-shortened victory.
Bethany Brown led off the first with a single up the middle, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kendal Harper. Jessica Arana then drew a walk and Briana Bishop was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The next batter, Kayla Gutowski, grounded to Katie Duhe at shortstop, but she misplayed the ball, allowing Brown to score and keeping the bases loaded.
Ashley Struchtemeyer then singled to center, bringing home Arana, and Brittany Caruthers followed with a sacrifice fly to left, plating Bishop to give SFA a 3-1 lead.
The Ladyjacks again made use of a Lions miscue in the third. Arana and Bishop led off with a single and a walk, respectively. After Gutowski lined out to Duhe, the shortstop misplayed a ball off Struchtemeyer's bat, again loading the bases. Following a pop-up, Jones ripped a single through the left side, scoring Arana and Bishop.
SFA put the game away with four runs in the fourth. A leadoff single by Brown, then consecutive walks by Arana and Bishop loaded the bases with one out. Gutowski pulled a ground ball into the hole on the left side for an infield single to score Brown, and Struchtemeyer followed with an infield hit of her own, bringing pinch runner Michele Huffman home for a 7-1 Ladyjack lead.
Bishop was cut down at the plate on a fielder's choice by Caruthers, but Jones came through with a two-out base knock to left, plating Gutowski and Struchtemeyer to set the final score.
Monika Covington, who held the Lions to six hits and didn't issue a walk in seven innings, closed out the game quietly in the top of the fifth. She improved to 10-7 with the win while striking out four.
Brown, Struchtemeyer and Jones had two hits apiece, while Arana and Gutowski each hit safely once.
Angela White (12-5) posted her fourth shutout of the season with seven strong innings in Game 2. She scattered four hits and a pair of walks over seven innings and struck out six, falling one short of her season high.
With White cruising, SFA scored twice in the third and added a run in the fourth to wrap up the doubleheader sweep. Harper blasted a solo home run to right-center to get the Ladyjacks on the board in the third. Arana followed with a single, then Bishop reached on a fielder's choice. The next batter, Gutowski, ripped a double to the right-field corner but was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple. Bishop scored from first to give SFA a 2-0 lead.
Struchtemeyer led off the bottom of the fourth with a double to right-center. She scored two at-bats later when Jones singled down the left-field line.
Harper, Arana, Gutowski and Jones each hit safely twice, and Struchtemeyer and Amber Price added a hit apiece.
The series will wrap up Sunday with one game set for a noon start.
-- SFA --
