Saturday, April 14
Houston, Texas
2 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
22-17, 10-6
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Houston Baptist
7-24, 4-12
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10
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Stephen F. Austin
0
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1
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8
1
Houston Baptist
0
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0
0
0
1
1
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0
0
2
10
0
Photo by: Hardy Meredith | SFA Photography
Softball Earns Fourth-Straight Southland Series Win with Pair of Victories Saturday
4/14/2018 7:59:00 PM | Softball
Ladyjacks earn two conference road wins, defeat Houston Baptist 3-2 in 10 innings and pick up 2-1 game two victory at Husky Field
HOUSTON – For the fifth time this season and fourth-straight weekend the Stephen F. Austin softball team clinched a Southland Conference series win, doing so Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of host Houston Baptist at Husky Field in Houston. The Ladyjacks (23-17, 11-6 Southland) earned two one-run affairs, both coming down to the final at bat. SFA snuck past the Huskies (7-25, 4-13 Southland) 3-2 in 10 innings before taking a 3-2 game two victory.
Another day of stellar pitching by the Ladyjacks' staff and a timely home run from senior catcher Taylor Fraccastoro willed SFA to the 2-0 day.
"Callee Guffey and Makayla Sikes were fantastic today," head coach Nicole Dickson said following the doubleheader. "Our team played tough and steady and we found ways to come out on top. I'm proud of them for taking two on the road. Going into tomorrow we have some adjustments we have to make offensively in order to manufacture more runs. We played hard and competed well today, that is what it's about in April when you are grinding in order to make the Southland tournament against tough teams each week."
Both teams laced 15 hits in the doubleheader as the Ladyjacks overcame a total of five errors on the day. Guffey and Sikes proved to both be sensational, combining to strike out 19 Husky batters across the two games. Sophomore center fielder Madison Clements was SFA's most consistent batter in the doubleheader, finishing the afternoon 4-for-7 with a run scored. She was the lone Ladyjack to have multiple hits in each of the two contests.
Win, 3-2 (10) at Houston Baptist (7-24, 4-12 Southland)
Fraccastoro's two RBI were the difference in the series opener as SFA scored runs in the top of the third, sixth and finally 10th inning to secure game one. In the Ladyjacks' longest game of 2018 to date, SFA was outhit 10-8 but scored the game-winning run on a Fraccastoro solo shot over the left field fence.
A sacrifice fly to center field from Fraccastoro in the top of the third allowed freshman shortstop Emily Evans to reach home plate, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. Following a scoreless two and a half innings, the Ladyjacks took a 2-0 advantage in the top of the sixth off of a Courtney Brown RBI single to center field that brought in senior third baseman Amber Landry.
However, the game would be far from complete as host HBU began its comeback in the bottom of the sixth. A two-out RBI double to right center field by left fielder Nicole Shedd made it a 2-1 game in the sixth, before a one-out RBI single through the left side from catcher Heidi Jaquez tied things up at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh.
After not being able to collect a hit in either the eighth or the ninth, Fraccastoro led off the top of the 10th and crushed a 1-2 pitch over left field for her sixth homer of the season. The Huskies would get one hit in the bottom of the frame but SFA's defensive made plays to make the 3-2 score go final.
Clements finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate, while Fraccastoro went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Sikes (14-6) earned her eighth complete game win of the season inside the circle by tossing all 10 innings, finishing with 10 strikeouts just one off of her career high.
HBU right fielder Sierra Humphrey posted a 4-for-5 performance as right-hander Jessica Patak (4-14) took the loss after going the distance in the circle and striking out three.
Win, 2-1 at Houston Baptist (7-25, 4-13 Southland)
The Ladyjacks took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning and held on for a 2-1 victory, despite a strong seventh inning by the Huskies. SFA lined seven hits in the game, compared to HBU's five, and overcame a handful of fielding errors.
A two-hit, two-run third frame gave the Ladyjacks a lead they would not relinquish. After Clements singled to left field, freshman second baseman Bryana Novegil was hit by a pitch before Fraccastoro grounded out to give SFA runners at second and third with two outs. Landry took a 1-1 pitch and singled through the right side for a pair of RBI, scoring both Clements and Novegil.
Other than a one-out double to right center field by junior first baseman Margarita Corona in the top of the sixth, neither team showed much offense throughout the fourth through sixth innings. The Ladyjacks got a two-out double from Clements and then a two-out single from Novegil in the top of the seventh but a groundout quickly ended any chances of SFA adding an insurance run.
Collecting three hits in the bottom of the seventh, the Huskies made it a one-run game and had the bases loaded with just one out. A solo home run over the left field wall by HBU center fielder Kay Schroeder made it 2-1, before the Huskies got a pair of singles and a walk. However, the Ladyjacks' defense would hold as Novegil threw out a base runner at home on a fielder's choice and reliever Sikes forced a groundout to herself.
Clements completed the game 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored as Guffey (6-8) earned her sixth win of the season on the rubber, tying her career high with nine strikeouts. Sikes picked up her second save of the season by facing three batters in the final 2/3 of the seventh.
HBU designated player Alys De Los Santos finished 2-for-3, while righty Elliott Estes (2-6) took the loss after going seven complete and striking out one.
Up Next…
The Ladyjacks will attempt to collect their second Southland series sweep of 2018 with the third and final game at HBU slated for Sunday at 2 p.m.
For all weather-related SFA softball schedule changes throughout the 2018 spring season, be sure to keep an eye on SFAJacks.com and follow SFA softball on Facebook (SFA Softball) and Twitter (@SFA_Softball).
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack softball throughout the season.
-SFA-
Another day of stellar pitching by the Ladyjacks' staff and a timely home run from senior catcher Taylor Fraccastoro willed SFA to the 2-0 day.
"Callee Guffey and Makayla Sikes were fantastic today," head coach Nicole Dickson said following the doubleheader. "Our team played tough and steady and we found ways to come out on top. I'm proud of them for taking two on the road. Going into tomorrow we have some adjustments we have to make offensively in order to manufacture more runs. We played hard and competed well today, that is what it's about in April when you are grinding in order to make the Southland tournament against tough teams each week."
Both teams laced 15 hits in the doubleheader as the Ladyjacks overcame a total of five errors on the day. Guffey and Sikes proved to both be sensational, combining to strike out 19 Husky batters across the two games. Sophomore center fielder Madison Clements was SFA's most consistent batter in the doubleheader, finishing the afternoon 4-for-7 with a run scored. She was the lone Ladyjack to have multiple hits in each of the two contests.
Win, 3-2 (10) at Houston Baptist (7-24, 4-12 Southland)
Fraccastoro's two RBI were the difference in the series opener as SFA scored runs in the top of the third, sixth and finally 10th inning to secure game one. In the Ladyjacks' longest game of 2018 to date, SFA was outhit 10-8 but scored the game-winning run on a Fraccastoro solo shot over the left field fence.
A sacrifice fly to center field from Fraccastoro in the top of the third allowed freshman shortstop Emily Evans to reach home plate, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. Following a scoreless two and a half innings, the Ladyjacks took a 2-0 advantage in the top of the sixth off of a Courtney Brown RBI single to center field that brought in senior third baseman Amber Landry.
However, the game would be far from complete as host HBU began its comeback in the bottom of the sixth. A two-out RBI double to right center field by left fielder Nicole Shedd made it a 2-1 game in the sixth, before a one-out RBI single through the left side from catcher Heidi Jaquez tied things up at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh.
After not being able to collect a hit in either the eighth or the ninth, Fraccastoro led off the top of the 10th and crushed a 1-2 pitch over left field for her sixth homer of the season. The Huskies would get one hit in the bottom of the frame but SFA's defensive made plays to make the 3-2 score go final.
Clements finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate, while Fraccastoro went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Sikes (14-6) earned her eighth complete game win of the season inside the circle by tossing all 10 innings, finishing with 10 strikeouts just one off of her career high.
HBU right fielder Sierra Humphrey posted a 4-for-5 performance as right-hander Jessica Patak (4-14) took the loss after going the distance in the circle and striking out three.
Win, 2-1 at Houston Baptist (7-25, 4-13 Southland)
The Ladyjacks took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning and held on for a 2-1 victory, despite a strong seventh inning by the Huskies. SFA lined seven hits in the game, compared to HBU's five, and overcame a handful of fielding errors.
A two-hit, two-run third frame gave the Ladyjacks a lead they would not relinquish. After Clements singled to left field, freshman second baseman Bryana Novegil was hit by a pitch before Fraccastoro grounded out to give SFA runners at second and third with two outs. Landry took a 1-1 pitch and singled through the right side for a pair of RBI, scoring both Clements and Novegil.
Other than a one-out double to right center field by junior first baseman Margarita Corona in the top of the sixth, neither team showed much offense throughout the fourth through sixth innings. The Ladyjacks got a two-out double from Clements and then a two-out single from Novegil in the top of the seventh but a groundout quickly ended any chances of SFA adding an insurance run.
Collecting three hits in the bottom of the seventh, the Huskies made it a one-run game and had the bases loaded with just one out. A solo home run over the left field wall by HBU center fielder Kay Schroeder made it 2-1, before the Huskies got a pair of singles and a walk. However, the Ladyjacks' defense would hold as Novegil threw out a base runner at home on a fielder's choice and reliever Sikes forced a groundout to herself.
Clements completed the game 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored as Guffey (6-8) earned her sixth win of the season on the rubber, tying her career high with nine strikeouts. Sikes picked up her second save of the season by facing three batters in the final 2/3 of the seventh.
HBU designated player Alys De Los Santos finished 2-for-3, while righty Elliott Estes (2-6) took the loss after going seven complete and striking out one.
Up Next…
The Ladyjacks will attempt to collect their second Southland series sweep of 2018 with the third and final game at HBU slated for Sunday at 2 p.m.
For all weather-related SFA softball schedule changes throughout the 2018 spring season, be sure to keep an eye on SFAJacks.com and follow SFA softball on Facebook (SFA Softball) and Twitter (@SFA_Softball).
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack softball throughout the season.
-SFA-
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Sikes, Makayla (14-6)
L: Patak, Jessica (4-14)
Batting:
HR: Fraccastoro, Taylor 1
RBI: Fraccastoro, Taylor 2 ; Brown, Courtney 1
SH: Corona, Margarita 1 ; Evans, Emily 2
SF: Fraccastoro, Taylor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fraccastoro, Taylor 1 ; Landry, Amber 1 ; Evans, Emily 1
HBP: Fraccastoro, Taylor 1
Batting:
2B: Shedd, Nicole 1 ; Schroeder, Kay 1
RBI: Jaquez, Heidi 1 ; Shedd, Nicole 1
SH: Janak, Demi 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Janak, Demi 1 ; Lotz, Amber 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
INF/C
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballC/UTIL
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballC/INF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball2.1.24 | Axe 'Em Insider Ep. 24 x Softball
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