Kriesel Tosses Eight K’s in Ladyjacks’ Purple & Gold Challenge Opener

Friday, March 1

Baton Rouge, La.

9:30 a.m.

Stephen F. Austin

11-6

Illinois State

4-12

Illinois State

Stephen F. Austin

Photo by: SFA Athletics

Kriesel Tosses Eight K’s in Ladyjacks’ Purple & Gold Challenge Opener

3/1/2019 12:33:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

SFA held to two hits in Baton Rouge setback to Redbirds

By: Luke Bolanos | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

SFA (11-6) vs. No. 16 Indiana (14-0)
Friday, March 1 | 2:30 p.m. | Tiger Park | Baton Rouge, La.
Live Stats

Tournament Central | Clear Bag Policy

BATON ROUGE, La. – Junior Galveston College transfer right-handed pitcher Ashley Kriesel threw eight Strikeouts and senior shortstop Emily Wolfe broke up a no-hitter in the bottom of the fifth inning during the SFA softball team's Purple & Gold Challenge opener Friday morning in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Missouri Valley Conference's Illinois State scored six runs on seven hits to earn a 6-0 win in the first game of the LSU tournament inside Tiger Park.

The Redbirds (4-12) allowed just two hits and scored runs in the top of the third, fifth and seventh innings to top the Ladyjacks (11-6).

After two scoreless innings of play, Illinois State took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning when right fielder Riley Hale led off with a double to left center field and shortstop Emme Olson took a 2-2, two-out pitch over the left center field wall. Remaining hitless in the bottom of the third and fourth innings, SFA found itself trailing 3-0 when third baseman Ellie Weltha was walked and then pinch runner Michele Calabrese was brought home on a Shannon Felde two-out RBI single to right center field in the top of the fifth.

Illinois State right-hander Morgan Day's no-hitter was broken up in the bottom of the frame when Wolfe singled to third base, but with two outs a lineout ended the inning. The Ladyjacks got a runner on in the bottom of the sixth on a hit-by-pitch but were unable to get anything else going before the Redbirds added a trio of runs in the top of the seventh. A one-out single preceded a pair of walks as designated player Andrea Coursey stepped to the plate and knocked in a three RBI double down the left field line to make it a 6-0 game.

SFA would get two on with one out in the bottom of the final inning thanks to a walk and a single through the left side by freshman pinch hitter Mackenzie Bennett, but a strikeout and a foul out ended the contest.

Starter Kriesel (3-2) took the loss inside the circle after striking out eight of 28 total batters faced with three walks in six and 1/3 innings of work, while freshman righty Kaelyn Roberts made her second career appearance on the rubber in the top of the seventh.

Illinois State's Day (1-4) earned her first win of the season by allowing just two hits and fanning four in the full seven innings as Olson finished 1-for-3 at the plate with two RBI, two runs scored and a walk. The Redbird's pinch hitter Kenzie Pence went 1-for-1 with a run scored.

All of SFA's games at the Purple & Gold Challenge can be followed along via live stats at LSUSports.net, while the Ladyjacks' games with LSU will be streamed live on SEC Network+. More information on the 2019 Purple & Gold Challenge, including links for every game and the event's history, can be found on the tournament central page.

Up Next…
The Ladyjacks resume Purple & Gold Challenge play this afternoon with a 2:30 p.m. pitch versus the Big Ten Conference's 16th-ranked Indiana. The Hoosiers will be the third nationally-ranked program SFA has faced this season as the game will serve as the Ladyjacks' sixth game against a top-25 opponent in 2019. SFA owns a 2-3 record in such affairs.

Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack softball throughout the 2019 season.

-SFA-