Stephen F. Austin
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Fraccastoro Leads SFA to Extra-Inning Win
3/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
GM1: AMCC 2, SFA 0 | GM2: SFA 4, AMCC 3 (9)
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Taylor Fraccastoro smashed a solo home run in the ninth inning of the second game of Friday's doubleheader against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to help the Ladyjacks pull off the 4-3 victory and earn a split at Chapman Field. The Ladyjacks (9-21, 2-8 SLC) dropped game one 2-0 to the Islanders (8-21-1, 3-8 SLC).
Fraccastoro's team-leading sixth home run of the season came at the most ideal time on Friday afternoon. With the score knotted at 3-3 in the top of the ninth, the freshman scorched a Katie Blanar offering over the wall in center to put SFA on top 4-3. The solo blast proved to be enough for the Ladyjacks to secure the win and the doubleheader split.
SFA also beat Corpus Christi with an extra-inning home run on opening day in the Getterman Classic as Brittany Lewis powered a three-run dinger over the wall in the eighth inning of a 6-3 win.
The Islanders outhit the Ladyjacks 13-5 in game two on Friday, but committed six errors to SFA's one.
The Ladyjacks never trailed in the contest, jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning thanks to one of the Islanders' six miscues. After Katelyn Standley recorded a two-out double, a fielding error in right field on a ball hit by Fraccastoro allowed Standley to get home safely.
Corpus Christi responded with a run in the bottom half but Lewis started to heat up at the plate for SFA. The designated player sent a two-out RBI double to the gap in right-center in the second inning to bring home Alisa Hamilton. Hamilton got aboard via another AMCC error and made it a 2-1 SFA lead by stepping on the plate.
The Islanders once again tied the game with a run in the third but an error allowed the Ladyjacks to regain control 3-2 with a run in the fourth. Autumn Holloway reached first on a throwing error by the pitcher, Hamilton reached on an infield single to send Holloway to third and Lewis laid down an RBI bunt single to manufacture the run.
Lewis finished game two 2-for-5 with two RBI to pace the `Jacks.
AMCC scored again in the sixth to force extras but Fraccastoro's late-game heroics stole the show on Friday.
Freshmen pitchers Makayla Sikes and Callee Guffey shared the workload in the circle. Sikes allowed three runs - two earned - in 6.2 innings as the starter and Guffey (4-9) closed out the game with 2.1 scoreless frames to claim the win.
In game one, SFA was blanked 2-0 despite a quality start from Guffey. She surrendered just five hits and two runs in 6.0 complete innings, walked two and struck out four. Heather Hollingsworth, Taylor Vick, Fraccastoro and Holloway each contributed a hit in the front end of the twin bill.
The two teams will determine the series winner on Saturday in the finale from Chapman Field. First pitch is set for noon.
-SFA-
