Stephen F. Austin
Northwestern State
Ladyjacks Win Series Over Lady Demons
3/23/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 23, 2014
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Coming into this season, the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks were picked to finish ninth in the Southland Conference, but with another stellar pitching performance from Carlie Thomas on Sunday, the Ladyjacks won this weekend’s series against preseason favorite Northwestern State with a 4-1 victory.
SFA (14-15, 5-3 SLC) got a second complete game of the weekend from Thomas as she threw all seven innings and fanned nine batters. She had 21 strikeouts on the weekend with 12 on Saturday.
Thomas allowed just four hits, just like her start on Saturday, and gave up a solo home run late in the game to Cassandra Barefield. NSU’s lone run in Thomas’ other start Saturday was a solo home run as well.
NSU (13-14, 5-4) could not string together hits or get on base with SFA mistakes. Thomas only walked two batters, giving the Demons only six base runners the whole game.
The Ladyjacks jumped on top in the second inning when Shalie Day hit her second home run of the series with a blast to left field to go up 1-0.
In the second inning, the Ladyjacks manufactured a run after Elizabeth Arana walked. She was driven home by freshman Brittany Lewis with a double down the left field line.
SFA added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Katelyn Standley singled up the middle to leadoff the inning. Nicole Wooten came in to run for Standley and quickly advanced to second base on a wild pitch and eventually advanced to third on a poor throw by the third baseman that put Taylor Vick on base.
Wooten used her speed to score on a grounder to short, waiting until the throw to first base in order to break for the plate and slide in safely. Vick scored on a single by Alisa Hamilton.
Hamilton was the only Ladyjack to get multiple hits on Sunday going 2-for-4 and driving in a run. Four different players drove in runs and five different players had hits.
SFA’s defense was stout in the closing innings. Hamilton and a number of long running catches in left field, and center fielder Lindsay Campbell had two momentum grabbing catches in the seventh. Campbell made the second out of the inning running to gap in left center and making a diving catch before running into the fence face first and holding onto the ball.
The Ladyjacks hit the road next weekend for a Southland Conference series at Houston Baptist. SFA and HBU will tangle in a double header at 1 p.m. Saturday and close the series at 2 p.m. Sunday.
sfajacks.com
