Stephen F. Austin
Central Arkansas
Ladyjacks Can’t Hold Off Bears, Drop Two in Arkansas
4/7/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Central Arkansas 4, Stephen F. Austin 3
Farris Field • Conway, Arkansas
Records: SFA (12-24, 4-6); UCA (14-26, 5-8)
Box Score
Central Arkansas 11, Stephen F. Austin 2
Farris Field • Conway, Arkansas
Records: SFA (12-25, 4-7); UCA (15-26, 6-8)
Box Score
CONWAY, Ark. – The Stephen F. Austin softball team started their series with a doubleheader on Friday against Central Arkansas. The Ladyjacks were the first to score on both occasions, taking a 2-0 lead in the first game and a 1-0 lead in the second, but could not hold off the offensive attack of the Bears. SFA would end up dropping in first by a walk-off RBI single, 4-3, and then be cut out of the second, 11-2, in five innings.
Sophomore Lauren Becker held the best batting average of the day, .500, after going 1-for-2 on the day. Becker’s lone hit would be an RBI double that scored freshman Kiriany Hornberger. Hornberger was 3-for-7 with two runs and a RBI. Freshman Katie Clark hit 1-for-3 with an RBI single. Junior Taylor Fraccastoro was also 1-for-3 at the plate with an RBI.
Hornberger started things off with a lead-off single to shortstop. Senior Brittany Lewis moved her to second, and then a passed ball advanced both runners to the scoring position. Fraccastoro came up big and swung an RBI single down the right line, putting SFA first on the board. Clark then followed with another RBI single to give SFA the 2-0 lead in the first.
Central Arkansas came back in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single to cut the lead to one, but junior Amber Landry would answer with a solo homer to left center to put SFA back up by two.
The Bear then tied the game at three apiece going into the final frame, where they hit a two-out RBI single that ended the game, 4-3.
Game Two of the series started off once again with a lead-off single from Hornberger. A ground out and illegal pitch would then move her over to third. Becker slammed an RBI double to left center that brought Hornberger home.
Things got knotted at one apiece at the end of the first and would stay that way into the fourth inning. The Bears mustered a nine run inning in the fourth from nine hits and three errors, tripping up SFA’s momentum. A fielder’s choice from junior Autumn Holloway to Lewis brought up the third out, but UCA jumped to an 11-2 lead, ending the game in five innings.
Junior Callee Guffey took the loss for the first game. She falls to 6-8 on the season. In the 6.2 innings pitched, Guffey scattered ten hits, gave up four runs, and struck out six from the 32 batters she faced. Junior Makayla Sikes absorbs the second loss. She is now 2-7 on the season. Sikes gave up eight hits and nine runs from the 22 batters she faced. Freshman Jordan Llinas relieved Sikes for one inning and gave up two runs off three hits.
SFA will have one more game against the Bears. Game Three will be on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. at the Farris Field.
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