Roadrunners Repeat as Southland Softball Regular-Season Champion
May. 1, 2005
PLANO, Texas -- The field and seeding for the six teamsin the 2005 Southland Conference Softball Tournament in Hammond, La., have been set as Texas-San Antonio collectedthe league'sregular-season title for the second year in a row while McNeese State accomplished a big feat Sunday with an SLC series sweep over Southeastern Louisiana for the remaining postseason spot.
The league's postseason tournament takes place Friday-Sunday, May 6-8, hosted by Southeastern Louisiana. The top-seeded Roadrunners and sixth-seeded Cowgirls will openthe double-elimination tournament on Friday, May 6, at 11 a.m.
at Texas-San Antonio 2, Sam Houston State 1
Freshman pitcher Amanda Nikolenko tossed her second complete-game gem of the weekend and sophomore Aimee Murray hit UTSA's 100th home run of the season as the softball team completed a sweep of Sam Houston State, 2-1, and captured its second straight Southland Conference regular season crown Sunday afternoon before 235 fans at Roadrunner Field.
UTSA improves to 40-16 overall, setting a school record for victories, and concludes the league slate at 21-5. The Bearkats fall to 26-23 and 19-7. The Roadrunners will enter the SLC Tournament next weekend in Hammond, La., as the No. 1 seed and will play McNeese State, which swept Southeastern Louisiana over the weekend to sneak into the tournament, on Friday at 11 a.m.
Nikolenko, who tossed an eight-strikeout shutout in game two on Saturday, fanned six batters and walked just one, while allowing one run on eight hits Sunday. She ran her record to 17-8 overall and 7-2 in the SLC as combined she gave up just one run on 13 hits and struck out 14 in 14 innings of work against the Bearkats.
Murray staked the Roadrunners to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, lining her 11th home run of the season, second of the series, into the trees beyond the right field fence. That pulled UTSA to within one long ball of the SLC record of 101 set last season and gives the Roadrunners an amazing 281 round-trippers over the past three seasons.
In the seventh, Sam Houston put together a rally as Sarah Sweaney singled and Lauren Boone walked to put runners at first and second with one out. Stephanie Mosley then lined a hard double just inside the third base bag that plated Sweaney to make it 2-1. Chrissy Dileo then pounded a hard ground ball at the shortstop Murray, who fired home to gun out Boone and leave runners at first and second with two outs. Murray then made a fabulous play in the hole on a ground ball and threw out a sliding Lindsey at first to end the threat and the game.
SHSU's Shalayne Blythe (12-9) allowed two runs on six hits and struck out six against zero walks in the loss.
at McNeese State 1, Southeastern Louisiana 0
McNeese State's softball team clinched the sixth and final Southland Conference Tournament spot here Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 victory over Southeastern La.
With the game scoreless after 3 1/3 innings, Jana Jones led the bottom half of the third with a double. After a pop up by Tonya Edlund for the first out, catcher Jenny Clay doubled to left center, scoring Jones for the game winning run. The hit by Clay was the second straight game winner for her in the series. Clay hit the game winning homerun in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader for a Cowgirl come from behind 4-3 victory. Clay led the Cowgirls on the day with a 3 for 3 performance with two doubles.
Pitcher Jessica Denham was nearly perfect in the game as she had a perfect game through 5 1/3 innings before giving up the first of two hits for Southeastern La. on the day. Denham picked up her third victory of the weekend by striking out six to improve to 13-17 overall.
McNeese (28-32, 12-15 SLC) will advance to this weekend's Southland Conference Tournament in Hammond and will face top seed Texas-San Antonio at 11 a.m. on Friday in the double elimination tournament.
--southland.org--