Sam Houston State Blanks Central Arkansas 1-0
SAN ANTONIO, Texas
– Behind a complete-game effort from sophomore Shelby Lancaster, Sam
Houston State blanked Central Arkansas, 1-0, to advance in the Southland
Conference Softball Tournament at Roadrunner Field in San Antonio, Texas.
Lancaster was almost perfect in the circle for the Bearkats, tossing 6.1
innings before surrendering her runner of the game off a sharp single Nicole
Beals back to Lancaster. The Bearkat right-hander allowed only one hit and surrendered
one walk in the shutout to improve to 12-7 on the season.
After
six innings of scoreless softball, Sam Houston struckfor the only run of the
game in the top of the seventh. Junior Tori Benavidez knocked in the sole RBI
with a sharp single to center field. Junior Kim Damian scored from second base
and beat the throw from centerfielder Stephanie Lasley, who gunned out the
previous runner at home on Damian’s single. It was Benavidez’s 15th RBI of the
season.
Central
Arkansas’ Kelsie Armstrong suffered the tough loss for the Bears. Armstrong
fell to 22-15 after throwing 6.2 innings and giving up one run on nine hits and
striking out three hitters.
Sam
Houston State (27-20) keeps its championship hopes alive and advances to play
again tonight at 7 p.m. The Bearkats will face the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
in another elimination game. Central Arkansas finishes its 2012 campaign with a
36-22 record, the best in program history.