Ladyjacks Pick up Pair of Pivotal Southland Wins in Doubleheader Sweep of Lady Demons

Friday, April 26

Nacogdoches, Texas

1 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

31-17, 0

Northwestern State

24-22, 0

Northwestern State

Stephen F. Austin

Photo by: SFA Athletics

Ladyjacks Pick up Pair of Pivotal Southland Wins in Doubleheader Sweep of Lady Demons

4/26/2019 7:36:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

SFA softball notches most wins in a single season since 2008, clinches sixth Southland series victory of 2019

By: Luke Bolanos | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

Northwestern State (24-23, 13-10 Southland) at SFA (32-17, 16-7 Southland)
Saturday, April 27 | 12 p.m. | SFA Softball Field | Nacogdoches
Watch | Live Stats

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – For the first time in 11 years, the SFA softball team can lay claim to 32 wins as the Ladyjacks surpassed last season's mark of 31 with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Northwestern State Friday afternoon at SFA Softball Field in Nacogdoches. Outscoring the Lady Demons (24-23, 13-10 Southland) 11-4 across the two games and out-hitting Northwestern State 18-12, SFA (32-17, 16-7 Southland) secured its sixth Southland Conference series win of 2019.

The Ladyjacks picked up a 6-3 game one victory, before nearly shutting out the Lady Demons 5-1 in the second game of the doubleheader. Getting another pair of phenomenal outings from senior first baseman Margarita Corona, who went 5-for-7 at the plate for the day, SFA saw freshman catcher Mackenzie Bennett rise to the occasion and knock out two home runs for her first dingers of her collegiate career.

"I'm very pleased with today, this afternoon we had our two most complete games of the season back-to-back," head coach Nicole Dickson said following the doubleheader sweep. "We were focused, locked-in and intentional from first pitch to final out in both contests. Every at bat, every defensive play and every pitch we competed hard. This afternoon showed how good we can be and what it's going to take to accomplish our goals this season. Margarita Corona once again elevated her play to the competition and was consistent, while freshman Mackenzie Bennett gave us a huge lift in game two and did what she's capable of doing with her two bombs. Both Kassidy Wilbur and Ashley Kriesel were on point today inside the circle, they executed their pitches and attacked the zone."

"Tomorrow, we need to keep our momentum going and remain focused," coach Dickson added. "Northwestern State is a very good team and will throw everything at us in game three Saturday."

Game One | Win | SFA 6 – Northwestern State 3
The Ladyjacks took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the opening inning when freshman right fielder Alex Hedspeth rocked a 1-2 two-out pitch down the left field line for an RBI single. The go-ahead hit came following back-to-back one-out singles from seniors Lauren Becker and Corona.

Two scoreless innings would ensue before the visiting Lady Demons took a 2-1 lead on a one-out swing in the top of the fourth frame. Following a leadoff single from Northwestern State catcher Alexis Perry, designated player Emma Hawthorne took a 0-0 pitch over the left center field fence for a two-run homer.

Limiting the Lady Demons to just a double in the top of the fifth, SFA regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth with two outs by scoring a trio of runs on three hits. A two-out fielder's choice and Northwestern State throwing error led to a two RBI Corona double to the right field fence, allowing Becker and sophomore second baseman Bryana Novegil to reach home plate. Bennett, who appeared as the Ladyjacks' designated player in game one, then doubled to the left center field fence to give SFA a 4-2 advantage.

Once again limiting the visitors to just one hit in the top of the sixth, the Ladyjacks pushed their lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the frame. A two-out walk and a fielder's choice was followed by another scoring hit from Corona, this time a two-out single to left center that brought Novegil across the dish. Moments later following another walk, Hedspeth was hit by a pitch with bases loaded for an RBI as Becker scored her third run of the afternoon.

Northwestern State would get a run on two hits in the top of the seventh when a Cayla Jones double to right field preceded a wild pitch that allowed Elise Vincent to reach home plate from third base. The Lady Demons got a one-out bunt single from left fielder Kaitlyn St. Clair but a pair of fly outs quickly ended the game without any further damage.

Corona finished the game an impressive 4-for-4 at the plate with three RBI, while Hedspeth was 1-for-2 with a pair of RBI and Becker scored three times. Freshman right-hander Kassidy Wilbur (18-11) notched her 16th complete game victory inside the circle after striking out 10 of 32 batters faced.

Hawthorne went 2-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored for Northwestern State as starter E.C. Delafield (8-3) took the loss on the rubber after striking out six but giving up three earned runs and eight hits in five and 2/3 innings.

Game Two | Win | SFA 5 – Northwestern State 1
SFA struck early and claimed a run in each of the first three innings, taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first off the bat of Bennett. A two-out Corona single to right center field allowed Bennett to step to the plate and crank out her first career homer over the left field fence for a pair of runs.

In the bottom of the second, a leadoff single from redshirt center fielder Brittany Crawford and later a steal of third base gave designated player Novegil the opportunity to connect on a two-out RBI single to left center field. Ahead 3-0, Bennett collected the Ladyjacks' fourth run of the contest when she stepped to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the third and took the first pitch she saw well over the center field fence for her second long ball of the game.

After a scoreless fourth, SFA made it a 5-0 affair in the bottom of the fifth when back-to-back singles from Hedspeth and junior second baseman Lindsay Gregory drove in junior pinch runner Bailey Richards.

The Lady Demons' lone run of the game and final of the day came in the top of the sixth on a Hawthorne two-out RBI double to left field. Northwestern State would be held to only a single in the seventh as junior right-hander Ashley Kriesel (12-6) earned her eighth complete game win to clinch the Ladyjacks' 32nd triumph of the year. She struck out seven of 29 batters faced and allowed just five hits and one earned run in the full seven innings.

Registering 10 hits for the fourth time in its last five outings, SFA got a 2-for-2, three RBI, two run performance from Bennett and a perfect 3-for-3 game from Hedspeth.

Northwestern State's Vincent finished the contest 2-for-3 as designated player Delafield went 1-for-2 with a run scored. Left-handed starting pitcher Samantha Guile (8-10) took the loss after giving up all five runs and 10 hits with four strikeouts and a walk in the first four and 2/3 innings.

Up Next…
Game three of the Southland series with the Lady Demons will conclude the weekend Saturday at 12 p.m. with a special senior day ceremony to precede first pitch. Five Ladyjack seniors, Lauren Becker, Courtney Brown, Margarita Corona, Shay Vegas and Emily Wolfe, will all be honored prior to the series finale. The game will be streamed everywhere on Facebook LIVE via SFA softball's Facebook page, while in-game statistics can be followed at SFAJacks.com.

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

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