Stephen F. Austin
Sam Houston State
Ladyjacks Split Saturday Doubleheader To Clinch SLC Tournament Five Seed
5/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Sam Houston State 9, Stephen F. Austin 2
SFA Softball Field | Nacogdoches, Texas
Records: SFA (24-27, 12-13 SLC); SHSU (21-30, 13-13 SLC)
Stephen F. Austin 2, Sam Houston State 0
SFA Softball Field | Nacogdoches, Texas
Records: SFA (25-27, 13-13 SLC); SHSU (21-31; 13-14 SLC)
Up Next: vs. Central Arkansas | SLC Tournament (Lake Charles, La.) | Wednesday, May 11 | 1:30 p.m.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Stephen F. Austin split its Saturday doubleheader against rival Sam Houston State at SFA Softball Field, clinching the number five seed in the 2016 Southland Conference tournament. The Ladyjacks dropped the opener against the Bearkats 9-2, then rallied to win the regular season finale 2-0 to finish the year 25-27 overall and 13-13 in SLC play.
Heading into Saturday’s second game, the Ladyjacks had dropped a half game behind the Bearkats after the 9-2 loss earlier in the day, meaning the winner of the afternoon game would settle into the five seed with the loser dropping to the six.
After a pair of scoreless innings, SFA drew first blood for the first time all weekend, beginning with an RBI single from Autumn Holloway, scoring Courtney Chambers and giving the Ladyjacks the 1-0 lead. Two batters later, Taylor LeFlore ripped a single through the left side of the infield, allowing Holloway to score from second, as SFA built a 2-0 lead after three.
Those two runs proved to be enough down the stretch as pitcher Callee Guffey held the Bearkats at bay, limiting Sam Houston to just three hits through the first six innings. Even when SHSU made one final rally in the top of the seventh, getting runners at second and third with one out, Guffey responded with a strikeout, then forced the final Bearkat batter to line out to left, sealing the win for SFA and improving to 10-5 on the year.
Holloway paced the Ladyjacks in game two, going 2-for-2 with an RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases. LeFlore, Annie Mehringer and Faith Talley added the other three hits for SFA while Mehringer’s defense helped save the game for SFA, making a handful of athletic catches in left to preserve the 2-0 win.
Earlier in the day, Sam Houston State fed off the momentum of Friday’s 5-1 victory, scoring early and often to earn a 9-2 win over the Ladyjacks to take the series. The Bearkats raced out to a 6-0 lead after two innings, including a 5-run second, to break the game open.
SFA tried to claw its way back into the game with two runs in the third, thanks to a two-RBI double by Brittany Lewis to score Holloway and Alisa Hamilton, cutting the deficit to 6-2. But SHSU added three more in the fifth to extend its lead to 9-2, which would prove to be the final score.
The Ladyjacks once again struggled offensively, generating just three hits against the Bearkats as the top five in the SFA lineup went a combined 1-for-27 through the first two games of the series. In contrast, Sam Houston pounded out 14 hits in the win while striking out four Ladyjacks, setting up the thrilling series finale.
Despite dropping two of three to their Piney Woods rival, the win in the regular season finale was a nice finish for the Ladyjacks’ 2016 regular season. It also signified a win in the final home game of seniors Lindsay Campbell, Alisa Hamilton, Heather Hollingsworth and Hannah Welch, who were honored prior to the start of game one.
With the regular season wrapped up, SFA now sets its sights on the 2016 Southland Conference tournament, being held May 11-13 at Cowgirl Diamond in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The fifth-seeded Ladyjacks will face fourth-seeded Central Arkansas in the opening round, getting underway at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. The winner will advance to take on top-seeded McNeese State Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. with the loser facing an elimination game Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
-SFA-
