Stephen F. Austin
Northwestern State
Lewis Mashes Late Grand Slam to Send SFA Over NSU, 5-3
4/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Northwestern State 4, Stephen F. Austin 0
Game One Box Score
Stephen F. Austin 5, Northwestern State 3
Game Two Box Score
Lady Demon Diamond • Natchitoches, Louisiana
Records: SFA (23-25, 11-11 SLC); NSU (25-23, 8-15 SLC)
Up Next: Game Three • Saturday, April 30 • 1 p.m.
NATCHITOCHES, La. - Junior first baseman Brittany Lewis has proven time and time again over her collegiate career that she belongs in the conversation as one of the best players in Southland Conference.
She added to her already strong case on Friday evening at Lady Demon Diamond.
Trailing 3-1 with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, Lewis sent a line drive laser over the fence in center field for a grand slam to lift the Stephen F. Austin softball team over Northwestern State, 5-3, in dramatic fashion. The two teams split Friday's doubleheader as the Lady Demons took game one, 4-0.
Lewis entered the weekend series needing just two RBI to surpass her own single season RBI record at SFA. Her late game heroics helped her accomplish just that. The Allen, Texas native raked in four RBI on her final swing on Friday night to bump her 2016 total to 47 - three clear of her previous standard of 44. Lewis now owns the top three single season RBI performances and has driven in a whopping 132 runs over her three-year career.
After registering hits in each game on Friday, Lewis has now hit safely in 21 straight SLC games dating back to March 13 against Nicholls. Her second grand slam of the season was also her team-leading 10th bomb of 2016.
With one out in the seventh inning, Courtney Chambers sparked the game two rally with a walk. Taylor Vick came up with a timely pinch-hit single to left field in the next at-bat and Autumn Holloway followed suit with a single up the middle to load the bases for Lewis.
The SLC leader in batting average and RBI took care of the rest, scorching a line drive missile to straightaway center to put SFA up for good, 5-3.
Sophomore pitcher Callee Guffey finished things out with a scoreless seventh in the circle to cap her complete game. Guffey (W, 9-5) surrendered just three runs - two earned - on five hits in 7.0 innings while striking out five in the win.
NSU's Natalie Landry put the Lady Demons on the board first with a solo home run in the second inning, but Faith Talley had the answer for SFA.
The freshman designated player fired a solo shot to right center in the fourth inning to level the score at 1-1. Talley now has five homers on the year.
NSU tallied two runs on three hits and an SFA error in the fifth to go back in front 3-1. The score remained unchanged until Lewis had the final say in the seventh.
The Ladyjack bats were held quiet for most of game one on Friday as SFA was only able to record four hits in the contest. Holloway, Lewis and Lindsay Campbell each hit singles while Taylor LeFlore provided a double for the visitors.
Micaela Bouvier (W, 14-9) was sharp in the circle for NSU, giving up four hits in 7.0 scoreless innings of work.
Sophomore pitcher Makayla Sikes (L, 6-10) also had a good outing for SFA. She was charged with four runs on eight hits in a full 6.0 innings and struck out five against just one walk.
All four of NSU's runs in the game came off three, two-out home runs between the fourth and sixth innings.
SFA and NSU are scheduled to wrap up the three-game series on Saturday. First pitch is currently scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Lady Demon Diamond, but could be changed with the threat of rain in the area this weekend. For updates, follow SFA Softball on Twitter (@SFA_Softball).
-SFA-
Talk about CLUTCH. Lewis proves why she's one of the best hitters in the SLC with this timely grand slam. #AxeEm pic.twitter.com/DHCK7caD1c
— Ladyjacks Softball (@SFA_Softball) April 30, 2016
Tonight's hero Brittany Lewis takes us through her big time grand slam in the seventh inning of game two. #AxeEm pic.twitter.com/cVmlfE6UuM
— Ladyjacks Softball (@SFA_Softball) April 30, 2016
