Texas State Upsets No. 22 Baylor
Texas State 4, No. 22
Baylor 3 (9 innings)
SAN MARCOS, Texas - Sophomore Chandler Hall hit the game-winning
RBI to give Texas State a 4-3 upset over No. 22 Baylor. The game stretched to
nine innings before the Bobcats put away the Bears to earn their sixth
straight, while also snapping the Bears six-game win streak. Texas State
improves to 9-11 overall, while Baylor falls to 16-7.
This is the first win over a ranked team
for the Bobcats this season, but the fourth in the past two seasons.
"I really don't think the team knew that
Baylor was ranked coming into today's game," said head coach Ricci Woodard. "We
don't pay attention to who is in the other dugout; we just come out in play."
Texas State started the game off with
Anna Hernandez, Chandler Hall and Haley Lemons all being walked by Baylor
pitcher Courtney Repka, loading the bases with just one out in the first.
Baack grounded out to shortstop, but not
before driving in Hernandez to give the Bobcats a 1-0 edge. Repka escaped with
what could have been a detrimental inning, by only allowing one Bobcat to
score.
Texas State had a chance in the third
inning to put up some more runs when they saw the bases loaded with one out.
Unfortunately, Repka dug herself out of the hole by striking out the Bobcats
next two batters to come away with zero runs scored.
The Bobcats held the Bears scoreless for
five innings before a wild pitch got pass the catcher and Kathy Shelton scored
at the plate.
A two-out single by Tiffany Wilson drove
in the tying run for the Bears in the top of the seventh forcing the game to
eventually go into extra innings.
With the international rule in play,
Texas State had bases loaded with one out in the eighth, but the Bears turned a
double play after Lindsay Matt popped up to shortstop and Macie Hair was called
out at first on the same play.
The Bears were able to tack on the first
run in extra innings when Bree Hanafin singled on a bunt, advancing Dani Leal
on the play. Hall and the Bobcats were able to come away just giving up one run
in the inning, knowing that they needed to score to stay alive in the game.
With one out on the board, Tello doubled
to left field making it all the way to third on the throw, while Matt advanced
home to tie the game up. With the win on their fingertips and only one out,
Hall stepped to the plate laying down the perfect squeeze as Tello scored the
winning run.
Credit goes to Bobcat pitcher Chandler
Hall who served up a whopping 11 strikeouts in nine innings of play versus the
No. 22 ranked Bears. Hall allowed just two earned runs, while walking just one
batter in the 37 faced.
"We saw Baylor use the squeeze earlier
in the game and it's one of those things that it's either going to work or not
work," said Woodard. "The Chandler today is the Chandler that we're used to
seeing. She will be ready every time she steps in the circle."
Texas State will head to Lake Charles,
La. this weekend as they get set to play McNeese State in conference play.
Stephen F. Austin 3, Houston
Baptist 2
Stephen F. Austin 2, Houston
Baptist 0
LUFKIN,
Texas - The Stephen F. Austin bats were relatively quiet for the majority of
the day but did enough to sweep a doubleheader against Houston Baptist at
Angelina College's Roadrunner Field on Wednesday. The Ladyjacks took Game 1,
3-2, then took a 2-0 win in the second game.
The
games were moved to Lufkin due to playing conditions at SFA, but it did not
have much effect on the SFA pitching staff which allowed just seven hits in the
two games combined.
SFA
got out to a quick start in Game 1 and rode a strong pitching performance by
junior Lauren Luetge.
After
Luetge set down the Huskies in the first, the Ladyjacks gave her a lead to work
with as Kendal Harper and Michelle Huffman led off with a pair of infield
singles. After a double steal, Briana Bishop gave SFA an early 1-0 lead with a
sacrifice fly to center before Kristi Malpass got a pair of strikeouts of Brittany
Caruthers and Kayla Gutowski to end the inning.
Bethany
Brown made it 2-0 with a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the third,
meanwhile Luetge was cruising early on, setting down eight straight Huskies
before Mollye Mlcak and Sara Corcoron connected on back-to-back homers to tie
the game at two apiece in the top of the fourth.
Angela
White (6-3) came on to relieve Luetge after the fifth and took the win after
Amber Price delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth off of Malpass.
The hit scored Ashley Struchtmeyer from third. Struchtemeyer had reached on a
one-out single and moved up on an error by the Huskies third baseman.
White
allowed a one-out single in the top of the seventh, but got Beth Evans to
ground into a double play to end the game.
Game
two started off quietly for three full innings before Struchtmeyer slammed her
first home run of the season in leadoff fashion in the bottom of the fourth
inning to give ace Monika Covington a 1-0 lead. From there, Covington kept the
Huskies at bay with five strikeouts before Struchtmeyer crossed the plate a
second time to give SFA an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. This time
the junior infielder scored on an RBI single by Karissa Jones.
Covington
(4-4) worked all seven innings, holding the Huskies to three hits and a walk
with six strikeouts to win her fourth consecutive start.
The
Ladyjacks will return to action Thursday for a doubleheader against Monmouth.
The two-game set is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. from SFA Softball Field.
Sam Houston State 6, Monmouth 1
Sam Houston State 2, Monmouth 1
HUNTSVILLE,
Texas - Morgan Mikulin pitched a four-hitter and helped her cause with an RBI
double to lead Sam Houston State to a 6-1 victory over Monmouth University of
New Jersey in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday at Bearkat Softball
Complex.
The Bearkats won the second game
of the doubleheader 2-1. First baseman Amy Brown provided the winning run in
the bottom of the sixth inning with an RBI single.
Mikulin struck out seven batters
in seven innings of work in the first game, also going 2-for-3 at the
plate. In the second contest, she earned another victory in the circle,
pitching the final inning and a third in relief of starter Tomi Garrison
Shelbi Tucker started the
scoring in the bottom of the first inning of the first game with a three-run
home run to put the Kats up 4-1.
Sam Houston (6-14) added two
more runs in the fifth inning on Mikulin's RBI double and an RBI bunt single by
Tucker. The freshman third baseman ended the contest going 2-for-3 with four
RBIs.
Hailey Wiginton's single in the
fourth inning of the nightcap accounted for the first run of the contest after
Monmouth scored a single run in the top of the first.
Monmouth dropped to 1-7 for the
season with the loss.
Sam Houston State will return to
Southland Conference action Saturday when the Bearkats play host to UTSA at 1
p.m. at the Bearkat Softball Complex.
Centenary
3, Northwestern State 1
SHREVEPORT, La. - A two-run, sixth-inning home run
by Centenary's Allison Sheppard highlighted a 3-1 win over Northwestern State
Wednesday night in midweek softball action.
Northwestern (10-9) and
Centenary (6-9) each managed just five hits as Centenary starting pitcher Sara
Dornelas gave up her only run in the top of the first inning as sophomore
slugger Samantha Roberts knocked in Randi Stuard for her 21st RBI.
Northwestern's Brooke
Boening allowed back-to-back singles to Haley Bassett and Bonnie Matak, who
finished 2-for-3, to start the bottom of the first before sitting down the next
two batters. Centenary answered with a run of its own as Kalyn Harris singled
to the left side to tie the game at one.
After the first inning,
Boening (4-3) gave up just two hits, but Sheppard's two-run shot proved to be
the difference. Bonnie Matak started the inning off with a one-out single
before Sheppard propelled the Ladies to a two-run lead.
Dornleas pitched a
complete game for the Ladies, allowing the lone run on five hits, striking out
six batters. Boening gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched, striking out
four before being relieved by Kelee Grimes. Grimes finished the game for Northwestern,
striking out both batters she faced.
Junior catcher Kayla Cole
and sophomore Tiffany Ward scattered two hits on the night for the Lady Demons,
each finishing 2-for-3.
Northwestern returns to
action this weekend, traveling to Nacogdoches, Texas, to take on Stephen F.
Austin to continue conference play. The first game of the three-game set is
scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. The Lady Demons host Sam Houston State March
20 at 2 p.m. to continue home play.