Stephen F. Austin
Lamar
SFA Drops Both Ends of Friday Doubleheader against Lamar
3/24/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Lamar 4, Stephen F. Austin 1
SFA Softball Field – Nacogdoches, Texas
Record: SFA (9-19, 1-3); Lamar (14-14, 7-0)
Lamar 3, Stephen F. Austin 2
SFA Softball Field – Nacogdoches, Texas
Record: SFA (9-20, 1-4); Lamar (15-14, 8-0)
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin Softball team hosted Lamar for a weekend series, and SFA’s second conference series this season. The weather would shuffle around the games a little, forcing the teams to battle in a doubleheader to start the series and then a single game the following day. The teams fought through some hard gusting winds that kept the ball in the park, but the undefeated Lamar Cardinals proved too much to chew for the Ladyjacks in the first game as they put up four runs in the in the first five frames. SFA would get its only run in the sixth frame when Hornberger shot a sacrifice fly to right field.
Game Two was slightly different as SFA stole the 2-1 lead from Lamar after a rain delay stalled the third inning. The celebration was short lived as the Cardinals tied the game in the fourth, and grabbed the go-ahead score in the fifth.
Junior Autumn Holloway had a 50-50 day as she went 3-for-6 at the plate with a 50 percent slugging percentage and 50 percent on base percentage. She had ten put outs at second base and three assists. Sophomore Tanna Huie hit .200 on the day with a single, a run, and a base. Huie had a terrific defensive day out in left field, catching 10 putouts in the green. Freshman Kiriany Hornberger also hit .200 and claimed an RBI. Senior Brittany Lewis clenched one of SFA’s runs through a set of errors, while freshman Madison Clements ran in SFA’s three run of the day in the second game. Lewis also had 10 putouts on the day at first and an assist.
Lamar jumped to the early 1-0 lead in the first frame, and then SFA would hold them there until the fourth when an RBI double to left field extended Lamar’s lead to 2-0. The Ladyjacks got their chance in the bottom sixth after Huie hit a lead-off single through the right side. Lewis followed up with a bouncer down the right line, while Landry loaded the bases on an error. Hornberger swung next, sending the ball sailing to right field allowing Huie to come home on the sacrifice.
SFA drew one more hit in the inning, but only cut Lamar’s lead to three. The Ladyjacks sent in junior pitcher Makayla Sikes in the top sixth to relieve junior Callee Guffey. Sikes would retire the next seven batters as the Cardinals took Game One, 4-1.
Game Two was started with two walks for Lamar, but Huie went to work in left field catching back-to-back fly outs in the green. The Cardinals got on the board first in the second frame after a double steal and an error by the Ladyjacks.
The approaching storm caused a pause in the bottom third right after Clements singled through the left side. When the inning started again, the Lewis used the break in play to swing the momentum her way drawing two errors from her swing that brought Clements home to tie the game at one apiece. Landry then shot a laser to right field, which tipped off the Cardinals glove, and Lewis came home to put SFA up for the first time of the series, 2-1.
Lamar would not let the Ladyjacks hold the lead long as they doubled and sacrifice flied out in the very next frame to tie the game at 2-2. Guffey then came back in to relieve the freshman pitcher Jordan Llinas, but Lamar tacked in the winning run in the fifth, 3-2.
Guffey takes the loss for game one and falls to 4-6 on the season. Between the two games she pitched a total of eight innings, facing 36 batters. She scattered six hits, gave up four runs, and struck out three. Llinas absorbs the loss for game two. She goes to 3-4 on the season. Llinas pitched four innings, allowed three runs from the 20 batters she faced.
The Ladyjacks will have game three against the Cardinals on Saturday with the first pitch slated for 1:00 p.m.
-SFA-
