Stephen F. Austin
Incarnate Word
SFA Pushes Past UIW for Doubleheader Sweep
4/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
GM1: SFA 4, UIW 2
GM2: SFA 6, UIW 3
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- Callee Guffey and Makayla Sikes each had big performances in the circle, Lewis cranked her ninth homer of the year to spark a late rally in game two and the Stephen F. Austin softball team came away with 4-2, 6-3 victories against Incarnate Word on Friday afternoon at SFA Softball Field.
With the two wins, the Ladyjacks improve to 17-26 on the year and 9-10 in Southland Conference play -- just 1.5 games back of sixth in the standings. The top six squads in the league make it to the SLC Tournament in May.
Freshmen Guffey and Sikes pitched like upperclassmen on Friday, each tossing a complete game and putting the Ladyjack bats in position to win. In game one, Guffey (9-11) allowed just one earned run and five hits in seven innings while striking out four. Sikes (3-10) followed by surrendering just three hits as well as one earned run in seven frames. She fanned three on the day.
Both hurlers picked up wins and combined to limit Incarnate Word (9-33, 3-17 SLC) to eight hits and a .170 team batting average over the two contests.
The Cardinals held a 3-0 lead after five innings in the nightcap before Lewis ignited a huge sixth inning for the Ladyjacks. After Shalie Day walked, Lewis crushed a two-run homer to left field to put SFA on the board 3-2.
Katelyn Standley and Lindsay Campbell followed with back-to-back singles before Taylor Fraccastoro came up with a clutch pinch hit RBI double down the left field line to tie the game 3-3.
The unsung play of the day might have come later in the sixth inning with two outs and Heather Hollingsworth at the plate. The junior outfielder hit a sharp grounder to second and when UIW's Natalie Duron opted to go for the tag rather than the short throw to first, Hollingsworth plowed through to jar the ball loose. The hustle play allowed Campbell and Fraccastoro to score and kept the inning alive.
The two runs gave SFA its first lead of the game at 5-3. Lewis later drew a bases loaded walk to pad the lead to 6-3, capping the scoring.
Campbell went 3-for-3 with a run and Alisa Hamilton went 2-for-4 to help Lewis pace the `Jacks offensively.
In game one, the Ladyjacks struck first with two runs in the third inning. Taylor Vick and Hollingsworth led off with singles and scored on a bunt single by Day and a Fraccastoro RBI groundout.
Hamilton and Day each scored in the fifth inning to make it a 4-1 ballgame. Fraccastoro sent Hamilton home on a sac fly and Lewis launched a double to right to drive home Annie Mehringer, who pinch ran for Day.
UIW got a run back in the seventh inning but Guffey shut the door after that to secure the 4-2 win.
Day was the lone Ladyjack to record a multi-hit game in the front end of the doubleheader, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and a walk. Fraccastoro ended the game with a team-best two RBI.
The Ladyjacks and Cardinals will conclude the three-game series on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at SFA Softball Field.
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