Stephen F. Austin
Southeastern Louisiana
SFA Drops First Two Against SLU
3/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
GM1: SLU 11, SFA 2 (6) | GM2: SLU 5, SFA 3 (8)
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin softball team fell victim to two more Southland Conference losses on Friday morning and afternoon at SFA Softball Field, falling to Southeastern Louisiana 11-2 in six innings and 5-3 in eight innings. The Ladyjacks have now lost 10 straight games, moving to 7-20 overall and 1-7 in SLC play.
In the second game of the Friday doubleheader, SFA mounted a steady comeback after falling behind 3-0 after three innings. In the fourth, Brittany Lewis, Shalie Day and Lindsay Campbell all drew walks and Taylor Fraccastoro singled through the right side to manufacture the team's first run of the game and make it a 3-1 ballgame. Campbell earned the bases loaded walk and was credited with an RBI for her keen eye.
The Ladyjacks tacked on another run in the fifth inning to make it a 3-2 SLU lead. Alisa Hamilton got aboard after a Lady Lion error and later scored on a Lewis single to right center. Day launched her third home run of the year to start the sixth inning. Her solo shot to left tied the game at 3-3, where the score stood through seven complete innings.
In the first extra inning, Sydney Booker recorded a two-run triple to put SLU back in front 5-3. The Ladyjacks couldn't threaten in the bottom half of the eighth, falling in extras for the third time this season.
The Lady Lions (12-16, 7-1 SLC) outhit the Ladyjacks 12-4 en route to the victory. Freshman Makayla Sikes tossed the complete eight innings for SFA.
In the first game, the Ladyjacks were right in the thick of things through four innings before the Lady Lions scored eight runs in the final two innings to win in six.
SLU jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer by Booker in the first before SFA tallied a run in the bottom of the third. Campbell singled to the gap in left center and was standing on third after a sacrifice bunt from Day and an SLU error. Heather Hollingsworth laid down a bunt single to load the bases before Hamilton brought Campbell home on an RBI single to short.
The Lady Lions answered with a run in the top half of the fourth inning to go up 3-1, but the Ladyjacks chipped away at that lead in the bottom half. Lewis drew a seven-pitch walk, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored after Campbell scorched a ball deep to the wall in right field. Campbell's RBI double cut SFA's deficit to 3-2, but the Ladyjacks wouldn't get any closer.
Two Lady Lion runs in the fifth and six more in the sixth put the game out of reach, 11-2.
Callee Guffey pitched the full six innings for the Ladyjacks, while only four of her 11 runs were earned on the day. She struck out eight batters overall.
Southeastern Louisiana's Taylor Bishop (8-3) earned the win in each of Friday's games.
The two teams will wrap up the three-game series on Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. at SFA Softball Field.
-SFA-
