Stephen F. Austin
Central Arkansas
Ladyjacks Pick Up Doubleheader Split With Bears
3/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Stephen F. Austin 9, Central Arkansas 7
Game One Box Score 
Central Arkansas 7, Stephen F. Austin 2
Game Two Box Score
SFA Softball Field • Nacogdoches, Texas
Records: SFA (12-15, 2-3 SLC); UCA (18-10, 4-2 SLC)
Up Next: North Texas • Tuesday, March 22 • 2/4 p.m.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - A day full of emotion and high intensity softball ended with a doubleheader split between Stephen F. Austin and Central Arkansas on Saturday afternoon at SFA Softball Field. The Ladyjacks prevailed in a 9-7 thriller in game one before dropping the series finale 7-2.
An RBI single by Taylor Fraccastoro and an RBI double by Brittany Lewis put SFA out in front 2-0 after the first inning of the first contest. The lead doubled to 4-0 with two more Ladyjack runs in the third. With two outs, freshman Faith Talley sent a triple to the right field wall to score Lewis. Annie Mehringer then drew a walk to put runners on the corners.
Just like head coach Gay McNutt drew it up, Mehringer stole second to force a UCA throwing error. The Bear miscue allowed Talley to scamper home to put SFA on top 4-0.
UCA took the lead 5-4 with five runs in the fourth. Lindsay Elliott hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the frame.
In the bottom of the fourth, SFA was able to manufacture three more runs to surge back in front 7-5. A Fraccastoro double and Talley single drove in two runs during the inning.
The Bears knotted the game at 7-7 but a fired up Ladyjack side generated two go-ahead runs in the bottom of the sixth. Talley provided the would-be gamewinner on an RBI groundout and Mehringer added an insurance run on a single down the left field line to score Alisa Hamilton.
Sophomore pitchers Callee Guffey and Makayla Sikes combined for seven strikeouts in seven innings. Sikes (W, 3-6) picked up the win with three strong innings in relief. She allowed two runs on four hits to close the game.
In game two, both teams traded single runs in the first and fourth innings before the Bears pulled away late. Courtney Chambers capitalized on a throwing error in the first to put the `Jacks on the board. Taylor LeFlore later singled in a run in the fourth inning to tie the game at 2-2.
Five unanswered tallies by the visitors capped the scoring at 7-2.
SFA will next be in action on Tuesday for a non-conference doubleheader against North Texas at SFA Softball Field. First pitch will be at 2:00 p.m.
-SFA-
