Stephen F. Austin
Maryland
Ladyjacks Rally to Win Both Games in Missouri
3/4/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Stephen F. Austin 3, Butler 2
Mizzou Softball Stadium – Columbia, Mo.
Record: SFA (7-13); Butler (6-7)
Stephen F. Austin 5, Maryland 4
Mizzou Softball Stadium – Columbia, Mo.
Record: SFA (8-13); Maryland (2-14-1)
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Stephen F. Austin won both their games on Saturday in the Mizzou Tournament in Columbia. Both games were one run verdicts late in the game. SFA got their revenge over Butler after Friday’s loss in extra innings. The game on Saturday was also sent to extra innings, but this time the Ladyjacks prevailed, 3-2 at the end. The Ladyjacks then turned around and played Maryland. SFA was down by three through the first six innings. They rallied together and hit a four-run bottom seventh inning to steal the win, 5-4.
Senior Brittany Lewis led the day with a .625 batting average from the two games. She had eight appearances, tallying two runs and five hits, two of those doubles. She slugged a .875 percentage and had a team-high 24 putouts on the day. Junior Amber Landry had a .429 batting average after her single, double, and homer in seven at-bats. She tallied two of SFA’s runs. Sophomore Lauren Becker hit a .400 on the day and claiming SFA’s other RBI with two singles and two walks. Freshman Kiriany Hornberger slugged a .500 percentage with three RBI, a double, a single, and two walks from her six appearances.
As a team SFA, totaled six RBI, eight runs, and 13 hits from the two games.
The Ladyjacks struck first in the game against Butler with a solo homer from Landry to center field in the first inning. Freshman Jordan Llinas took care of business in the circle for the first and second, but Butler got their bats swinging in the third, putting up two runs in the frame.
Down 2-1 in the fifth, the Ladyjacks started off with a double to right field from Lewis, then Landry singled to advance Lewis to third. Hornberger absorbed the ground out to second to sacrifice hit Lewis home. The defense took over the in the final two innings of regulation keeping the teams knotted at two. That brought up the extra innings in which Butler tried for home but a gun-slinger from junior Tanna Huie in left field to Landry at home caught the runner out.
Then it was SFA’s turn to bat in the eighth inning, per international tie breaker rule, Lewis was placed on second base. Freshman Brittany Crawford came in to pinch run for Lewis. Landry then sacrificed her hit to advance Crawford to third. Hornberger then stepped up and smacked a single to right field for the RBI and brought Crawford in for the win.
The second game was right afterwards against a fresh Maryland team. Maryland started hot off the blocks posting two runs in the first inning, and then struck again in the second moving the score to 3-0 going into the third inning. Junior pitcher Makayla Sikes turned out a three up and three down half inning, and then the Ladyjacks went to work with Landry reaching first on an error. After that, Hornberger was walked. Huie replaced Hornberger on a fielder’s choice and sent Landry to the hot corner. Landry turned the corner on a second error and earned SFA’s first run of the afternoon.
Maryland retaliated by adding on the insurance run in the sixth from two singles and a sacrifice hit. It all came down then to the seventh inning for the Ladyjacks in what would be the best inning for SFA since the six-run seventh inning against Texas A&M in February. Maryland decided to change pitchers in the bottom seventh, setting up an automatic double from Lewis. Hornerberger then was at-bat and blasted another double to the same spot, which brought home Lewis. Huie then battled for a free pass, putting runners on first and second. Maryland decided switch back to their starting pitcher, in which junior Autumn Holloway took advantage of and forced an error by the pitcher to put Holloway on second, Huie on third, and bring in SFA’s second run of the inning. The scored now was 4-3, and Maryland decided to intentionally walk sophomore Emily Wolfe, loading the bases for sophomore Lauren Becker. She was patient at the plate and won a free pass that forced Huie home for the tying run. With two outs and bases loaded, freshman Madison Clements drew a hit by pitch that scored the go-ahead run.
Three SFA pitchers saw action today in the circle. Llinas started the first game and pitched 2.2 innings against Butler. She faced 15 batters and scattered five hits. She gave up the two Butler runs and walked three. Junior Halie Vance came in to relieve her in the third inning. She finished the game and grabbed the win, improving her record to 1-3. She only had two hits and one strikeout against her. Sikes pitched the complete game against Maryland and scattered seven hits and struck out two. She faced 32 batters and only gave up the four runs.
The Ladyjacks still have one more team to face tomorrow morning at 10:00 am, the No. 4 Oregon Ducks. This will the Ladyjacks last game of the Mizzou Tournament.
-SFA-
