Lumberjacks Return Home Seeking First Win

Tuesday, February 13

Nacogdoches, TX

5:00 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

Northwestern State University

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Photo by: Amanda Paver

Lumberjacks Return Home Seeking First Win

2/12/2024 6:38:00 PM | Softball

By: Peter Trainor, Student Assistant for Strategic Communications

Stephen F. Austin vs. Northwestern State University

Date: Tuesday, February 13th Doubleheader

Times: 5:00 & 7:30 p.m.

Live Stream: WAC International

Stadium: SFA Softball Field

Series: SFA Leads 68-60

NACOGDOCHES, Texas. - The Stephen F. Austin Softball Team (0-3, 0-0) opens up their home schedule against the visiting Northwestern State University Lady Demons (2-3, 0-0) looking to give head coach Jeff Jackson his first win of his SFA coaching career in front of a home crowd.

Lumberjacks at a Glance:

The SFA Lumberjack Softball team will return home for their home opener coming off a rain-soaked weekend that saw them put up valiant fights against both UNLV and Wichita State but falling just short of claiming wins and having two games cancelled due to field conditions. Against Wichita State, despite losing 7-4, the 'Jacks rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game at three apiece in the third and briefly tied the game at four in the fourth inning but were unable to keep up with the Shockers high-powered offense in an eventual 7-4 loss in their season opener. The Lumberjacks suffered an 11-0 loss in the first of two games against the Rebels, but were able to rebound quickly to hold multiple leads against the Rebels in the second game, however, were unable to come away with a win in an eventual 4-3 loss in a game that was only played six innings due to weather conditions.

Madison Nguyen experienced a successful weekend for SFA as she finished the three games slashing .375/.819/.375 with three hits, scored two runs, recorded two RBIs, and swiped one base. Brittany Coe recorded a pair of hits including a double, while driving in a pair of runners and drew a walk to finish with a. .250/.708/.375 slash line over the three games. Meanwhile, Lexi Benson picked up where she left off last season as she picked up a pair of hits, one of which was a double, and drove in two runners as she, Nguyen, and Coe started all three games for SFA.

Alexis Telford saw the most action of any SFA pitcher this weekend as she came in as a relief pitcher against Wichita State striking out a pair of hitters in 3.2 innings pitched, while staying busy as she started the second game against UNLV striking out four hitters in five innings pitched against the Rebels. The Lumberjack defense was fantastic all weekend as they recorded a .985 fielding percentage as a team recording just one error with 47 putouts. Alex Dubose led the team with nine putouts over the weekend while Chloe Reneau and Ellie Vance recorded four assists each.

Lady Demons at a Glance:

The Northwestern State Lady Demons continue their lengthy road schedule to begin the season as the Northwestern State will play their first 17 games on the road before returning home to host these same SFA Lumberjacks on February 27th for a home opener double-header. The Lady Demons come into this Tuesday evening matchup coming off the Texas State Tournament that saw the Lady Demons go 2-3 with wins over UTSA and Southern Illinois. Northwestern experienced a pair of heart-breaking losses over the weekend as they fell 2-1 to Creighton and 1-0 to Kennesaw State.

Tristin Court was a force to be reckoned with at the plate for Northwestern State as she finished the tournament with a .333/.912./.500 slash line with two doubles, three RBI's, and two walks while starting all five games. Ashlyn Walker was an RBI machine for the Lady Demons as she recorded six RBI's over the tournament thanks to a four RBI performance against UTSA that saw her record a two-run homerun as well as a two-run double against the Roadrunners. Taylor Williams and Ashlyn Walker combined for seven hits, three RBIs, and four walks over the course of the Texas State Tournament.

Aly Delafield and Maggie Darr both posted dazzling performances on the bump for the Demons as they combined to throw 17 innings allowing only three runs and striking out 16 hitters, which saw both pitchers leave the weekend with an ERA under 1.50. Kat Marshall and Ashlyn Walker were leaders on the defensive side for the Lady Demons as Marshall led the team with 34 putouts in five games, while Walker followed with 25 putouts and two assists as both posted 1.000 fielding percentages.

Series: These two storied programs continue their history with each other as SFA currently holds a 68-60 series lead over the Lady Demons. The Lumberjacks have won the last eight meetings between the two schools allowing one or less runs in five of the eight games. These two schools will meet for the first time since 2021, which saw SFA claim a 4-1 win over the Lady Demons in the third round of the 2021 Southland Conference Tournament.