Stephen F. Austin
Nicholls
Ladyjacks Take Key Win At Nicholls
5/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 2, 2010
THIBODAUX, La. - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack softball team rallied late for a 14-5 win over Nicholls Sunday, winning the series and keeping the Ladyjacks in the hunt for a Southland Conference championship. SFA scored 13 of its 14 runs in the last two innings to come from behind for the run-rule-shortened win.
The Ladyjacks improve to 26-17 on the season and 18-9 in Southland play, keeping within a game of first-place Texas State. The Bobcats are 19-8 in league action, setting up a key showdown with SFA in next weekend's regular-season finale. With Sunday's loss, Nicholls falls to 24-17 on the year and 15-12 in Southland play.
The Colonels used three hits, including run-scoring singles by Kayla Watterson and Ashton Bennett to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
SFA cut the lead in half when Kayla Gutowski led off the fourth with a home run to center field, but Nicholls added two more runs in the bottom half. Bennett led off with a double, then scored on a single by Mandy Granger. Pinch-runner Lauren Martinez would eventually score on a passed ball to give the Colonels a 4-1 advantage.
The Ladyjacks put together their best inning of the weekend with a big rally in the top of the fifth. Bethany Brown walked to lead off the frame and then stole second. Kendal Harper followed with a fly ball to center that was deep enough to advance Brown to third. Jessica Arana then singled to right, bringing Brown across the plate.
Briana Bishop chased Arana with a single, moving pinch-runner Michele Huffman to second. Then Gutowski reached on a throwing error by Nicholls starter Lacey Gros. The wild throw was the break SFA needed, as Bishop and Huffman both scored, and Gutowski raced all the way to third on the play.
The next batter, Ashley Struchtemeyer, doubled to left-center, scoring Gutowski and chasing Gros from the circle in favor of Carlee Winkelmann. Winkelmann uncorked a wild pitch against the first batter she faced, allowing Struchtemeyer to move to third. She would walk Brittany Caruthers, then Karissa Jones singled to left, bringing Struchtemeyer home and moving pinch-runner Krista Hallmark to second.
Hallmark took third on Amber Price's fielder's choice, then Brown reached on an error. The miscue allowed Price to take third and brought Hallmark home to give SFA a 7-4 lead.
Nicholls put up a run with an RBI single by Bennett in the bottom half, but the Ladyjacks put the game away with seven runs in the top of the sixth.
Bishop reached on an error with one out, then moved to second on a wild pitch. Gutowski followed with a double, scoring Bishop, then Struchtemeyer singled, bringing Gutowski across the plate. Struchtemeyer took second on the throw and moved to third on a Caruthers single. Caruthers moved into second behind the throw.
After a ground ball for the second out of the inning, Price singled down the line in right, bringing Struchtemeyer home. Brown then reached on an error and moved to second. Price took third on the play, and Caruthers scored. Harper then drew a walk to load the bases, and Arana drove in Brown and Price with a single. She took second on the play. Harper would set the final score when she crossed on a wild pitch to give SFA a 14-5 lead.
Monika Covington struck out the side in the bottom half to secure the run-rule victory. She was charged with four earned runs on eight hits and four walks with eight strikeouts. Covington improved to 13-9 with the win.
Arana went 4-for-5 with three RBI to lead SFA at the plate. Gutowski and Struchtemeyer each went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs. Bishop, Caruthers, Jones and Price had one hit apiece.
The Ladyjacks will host Texas State next weekend in the regular-season finale. The three-game series is set to begin with a doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 1 p.m.
-- SFA --
