SFA Looking To Keep Momentum
4/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 15, 2011
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack softball team will try to build on the momentum of consecutive wins this weekend when it hosts UT Arlington in a three-game Southland Conference series. The set against the Mavericks is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. from SFA Field with a doubleheader on Saturday.
The Ladyjacks come into the series having knocked off No. 3 Texas, 1-0, on the road Wednesday night. SFA got all the offense it would need on a bases-loaded walk by Lacy Liles with two out in the first. The Ladyjacks were unable to add to their lead, but freshman pitcher Carlie Thomas threw a four-hit shutout to hand Texas just its fourth loss of the year.
The Longhorns had an 18-game win streak and had not lost at home in 17 previous contests coming into Wednesday's game. The win marked SFA's first-ever victory over a Top 5 team at the NCAA Division I level.
The victory over Texas followed a 5-3 win in 10 innings in the finale of the Ladyjacks' three-game series at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last weekend, giving SFA (10-28, 5-13 Southland) consecutive wins for the first time this season.
The Ladyjacks will square off with the second-place team in the Southland in UT Arlington. The Mavericks come into the weekend with a 27-15 season mark and a 14-4 record against league opponents. UTA has struggled somewhat of late, though, losing three of its last four games - all at home - including a 2-1 series loss at the hands of Northwestern State.
At .278, the Mavericks have the third-best batting average in the Southland. They lead the league in slugging percentage (.414) and their 29 home runs rank second in the conference. The UTA pitching staff has the second-lowest ERA in the conference at 2.10.
This weekend's games will be streamed live online via SFA All-Access. Live stats will be provided through GameTracker. To access these features, visit the softball schedule page at sfajacks.com.
-- SFA --
