April 15 Softball Report
Around SLC Softball tonight, Stephen F. Austin knocked off Louisiana-Monroe, as Jessica Tullos set the school's record in career home runs tonight.
April 15 Scores
Stephen F. Austin 6, at Louisiana-Monroe 4
MONROE, La. - Senior Jessica Tullos hit a record-breaking home run Tuesday to cap off the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack softball team's 6-4 victory at Louisiana-Monroe. The win improves SFA's season record to 28-17.
Tullos' shot in the seventh inning chased a lead-off homer by junior Kari Hugie and gave SFA a 6-3 lead heading into the bottom half of the inning. The Warhawks answered with a two-out run-scoring double in their half, but Hugie came on in relief of freshman Lauren Luetge and recorded the last out.
The home run by Tullos gives her 21 for her career, breaking the record set by former SFA first baseman Tara Hersey in 2005. The bomb was Tullos' ninth of the 2008 season tying her with Hersey's 2005 mark for the most single-season home runs in SFA history.
ULM opened up a 3-0 lead with a trio of runs on three hits in the second inning.
SFA answered with a run in the third by taking advantage of some Warhawk mistakes. Junior Kim Daley led off with a walk, then moved to second on a sac bunt by Crystal Garcia and took third on a passed ball. Sophomore Kendal Harper then drew a two-out walk, and stole second. Daley came home on the play when the ULM catcher's throw sailed wide.
Luetge held ULM scoreless through the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Meanwhile, SFA took the lead with a three-run fifth. Monica Hirsch got a one-out single, then stole second and moved to third when Harper's ground ball to second was mis-played.
After a bunt attempt was popped up on the infield, Tullos got her first hit of the day, a single to score Hirsch and move Harper to second. Harper and Tullos moved up a station when sophomore Briana Bishop got on with a fielding error. The next batter, freshman Ashley Struchtemeyer, tied the score when she drew a walk to bring Harper home. Junior Moriah Davis then earned a free pass to score pinch-runner Michele Huffman and put SFA ahead, 4-3.
Luetge got two strikeouts and a ground ball to set the Warhawks down in order in the bottom half, and Hugie and Tullos followed with their back-to-back homers to give SFA all the insurance it would need.
Luetge (10-3) sprinkled five hits and four earned runs over six innings with four strikeouts to earn the victory.
The Ladyjacks will return to action this weekend, when they host Southland Conference-leading Texas State in a three-game series. The action kicks off with a doubleheader on Saturday, set to start at 1 p.m. from SFA's Hoya Field.
At Southern 1, Southeastern La. 0
BATON ROUGE, La. - A passed ball in the bottom of the eighth inning sent home the winning run, as the Southeastern Louisiana softball team dropped a 1-0 non-conference decision to Southern Tuesday afternoon at Lady Jaguar Field.
Southeastern senior pitcher Rachel Ray (14-9) did not give up an earned run, struck out eight and scattered three hits in 7.2 innings of work. However, the Lady Lions (26-17) could only manage three hits off of Southern (22-16).
Southeastern mounted the game's first scoring threat in the top of the second. Freshman Kelly Lyman drew a walk and senior Arica Rodriguez doubled to put runners at second and third with two outs. However, freshman Katy Duran just missed her pitch and flew out to deep center.
Southern's only threat in regulation came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jasmone Williams reached on a throwing error to lead off the inning and Courtney Chappell followed with a single to put runners at the corners with no outs. Ray recovered to retire the next three Southern batters to end the threat.
Freshman Bailey Zievert was put on second to start the eighth and freshman Tamra Ladnier followed with an infield single to put runners at first and second with no outs. Southern pitcher Lanaya Jenkins (9-3) retired senior Kaley Christy, junior Jill Machleit and junior Heather Sherrill to get out of the jam.
Tiffany Darville was placed on second to start the eighth for Southern and advanced to third on a one-out sacrifice bunt by Williams. Ray then walked Chappell to put runners at the corners with two outs. With Brittany Hymes at the plate, backup freshman catcher Heather Grivas could not handle Ray's pitch, letting the ball pop out of her glove and allowing Darville to score the winning run.
Southeastern will be back in action this weekend, hosting Southland Conference foe Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for a three-game series at North Oak Park. The series opens with a 3 p.m. doubleheader. Southeastern seniors Jessica Sander, Nicole Schoenberger, Christy, Rodriguez, Brooke Lockhart and Ray will be honored in a Senior Day ceremony prior to Sunday's 12 p.m. series finale.
At Texas Tech 6, UTSA 1
At Texas Tech 2, UTSA 0
LUBBOCK, Texas ? Sophomore Cassie Miller launched her first home run of the season, but Alex Watkins and Ashly Jacobs combined to hold UTSA to one run on six hits in sweeping a non-conference doubleheader, 6-1 and 2-0, on Tuesday at Rocky Johnson Field.
The Red Raiders improved to 15-31 with the wins, while the Roadrunners fell to 18-22 in their final non-league games of the regular season.
Miller hit her second career round-tripper and sophomores Kelly Cato and Rudi Cantu both doubled for UTSA in game one, but Montana Patin went 2-for-2 with a homer and four RBIs to lead Texas Tech to the 6-1 win.
Tech took a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, as Devin Zaragoza walked and scored on Patin’s two-run blast to center field.
Miller’s line drive shot down the left-field line in the top of the third cut the deficit to 2-1, but the Red Raiders responded with a two-out, RBI-single by Patin that plated Whitney Riley, who doubled to start the bottom of the frame.
Tech added another run in the fourth on a two-out single to center by Robyn Wike and pushed across two runs in the fifth on a Zaragoza double and a sacrifice fly by Patin for the final 6-1 margin.
Ashly Jacobs (7-12) scattered four hits in five innings of work in earning the win, while Alex Watkins struck out four in two innings of one-hit relief. Senior Amanda Nikolenko (10-13) allowed four earned runs on five hits and struck out three in the loss.
Watkins was the story in game two, striking out eight and allowing just one single to Cantu and one walk in running her record to 1-4.
Tech struck for two runs in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of a pair of walks. Jennifer Corkin grounded a two-out base hit through the hole between the first and second basemen to plate Megan Shupp and Zaragoza.
That was all the offense Watkins would need, as she gave up just a single to Cantu in the fourth and got out of a jam in the seventh with a pair of fly balls to secure the victory.
Senior Janeille Nickels (3-3) was solid in the loss, allowing just two runs on three hits.
The Roadrunners wrap up their seven-game road trip with a three-game Southland Conference series at Northwestern State this Saturday-Sunday, April 19-20.