MONROE, La. – The ULM softball squad came out on top 5-4 in a back-and-forth affair against Northwestern State Wednesday night inside ULM Softball Complex.
ULM (15-14) never led until the bottom of the sixth inning despite scratching runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Sophomore Paige Porter (3-1) picked up the win in relief, allowing just one hit during two scoreless innings.
NSU (18-10) scored two in the top of the first inning on a two-run homer from left fielder Natalie Landry that clanked off the left-field pole. The Warhawks responded in the bottom of the third as senior shortstop Faith Bohack plated junior left fielder Rochelle Roberts on a single to left field.
Both teams scored one run in the fourth and fifth innings. Lady Demon shortstop Hailee Rhodes drove in a run on an RBI single up the middle in the top fourth, and sophomore Cheyanne Lyon countered with a double over the center fielder’s head which scored sophomore pinch runner Hunter Hogan.
NSU leadoff hitter Kellye Kincannon hit a solo homer in the fifth to dead center field with a steady wind blowing in, but freshman right fielder Sydney McKay answered the call in the bottom half, plating Roberts on a chopper up the middle to make it a one-run game at 4-3 in NSU’s favor.
Porter’s brilliant outing started in the sixth as she retired the first three batters she faced which kept the Warhawks in striking distance.
In the bottom half of the sixth, junior center fielder Sidney Coy was down 1-2 before getting hit by a pitch and Lyon advanced her to third on a single to right field. Roberts then hit a deep fly to left that scored Coy and Bohack smacked a grounder to second base that went right under Sarah Huey’s glove, allowing Lyon to reach home as the deciding run.
The Lady Demons had runners on first and second with one out in the seventh before Porter clamped down and retired the next two batters which ended the game.
Bohack, Lyon, McKay and Roberts each notched two hits and an RBI. Bohack also stole three bases, matching a career high. Freshman Rachel Tadlock, making her third start of the year at designated hitter, walked twice in three at-bats.
ULM will travel to Texas State this weekend and play a three-game series beginning Friday in a 2 p.m. doubleheader.
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Georgia Southern Falls on the Road #12 Georgia on the Road in Midweek Game
ATHENS, Ga. – The Georgia Southern softball team wrapped up the second longest road swing of the season Wednesday evening with a midweek game at 12th-ranked Georgia. The Eagles were able to hang with the Bulldogs early on in the game, but ultimately fell 9-0 at Jack Turner Stadium.
UGA broke through in the third inning when Tina Iosefa hit a two-run home run that also scored Alex Hugo. Lacey Sumerlin then added another two runs when she batted in a pair of Dawgs with a two-out single to center field later in the inning.
The Bulldogs then added five runs off three hits and an Eagle error in the bottom of the fourth inning and then held the Eagles scoreless in the top of the fifth to end the game.
For the Eagles, Taylor Rogers, Hannah Farrell and Rowan McGuire each recorded a hit in the game.
Freshman Dixie Raley (10-7) made the start in the circle for the Eagles and pitched three complete innings but ultimately accepted the loss. Kierra Camp and Heather Felt both came into the game in relief. Brittany Gray (8-3) claimed the win for UGA, pitching the complete game.
COACH SMITH SAYS
"We just have to keep working at getting better. Tough opponents like this do a lot to get us ready for our Sun Belt Conference opponents, especially this weekend's series against UT Arlington. Both Georgia and UT Arlington are good teams with good speed, good hitting and good pitching and we just have to go out there and continue to compete this weekend. It will be great to get back and play at home this weekend in front of our fans."
UP NEXT
Georgia Southern returns home for the next five games beginning this weekend with a Sun Belt Conference series against UT Arlington. The Eagles and Mavericks will kick things off with a 4 p.m. doubleheader on Friday, Mar. 25 which will also serve as Military Appreciation Day. The two will then wrap up the three-game series with a single game on Saturday, Mar. 26 at high noon.
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GSU's Upset Bid Comes up Short Versus Third-Ranked Auburn
ATLANTA – Hosting the third-ranked Auburn Tigers for a midweek game Wednesday, Georgia State’s softball team scored four runs on 10 hits, but gave up a four-run sixth inning to lose 8-4 at the Bob Heck Softball Complex.
“I thought we competed real hard for five innings,” head coach Roger Kincaid said. “We showed that we are right there, but we have to finish strong. That’s something we are constantly preaching to the team; finish strong.”
Georgia State looked to be in trouble early as Auburn scored three in the first frame. The Panthers responded in the bottom half, however, by loading the bases with no outs. Georgia State ended up scoring just one run in the inning, but evened the score in the second with and RBI-groundout from Ivie Drake and an error by the Tiger defense.
Auburn retook the lead in the third, but Drake stepped up to the plate in the home half of the fourth and belted a line drive that hit the scoreboard in right-center field. Drake’s team-leading eighth home run of the season tied the game up at 4-4.
Both teams were quiet in the fifth, but the Tigers took advantage of walks and hit batters to score four runs on just two hits in the top of the sixth to take the lead for good. Drake, Taylor Anderson and Morgan Brown each recorded a pair of hits for the Panthers, who finished with 10 while Auburn tallied 11.
Georgia State falls to 18-14 on the season with the loss and has the weekend off before visiting Furman on March 30 for a doubleheader.
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Ninth Inning Rally Lifts Incarnate Word Past Bobcats
SAN MARCOS, Texas – After coming back to tie the game in the bottom sixth and once again in the bottom half of the eighth, the Texas State softball team ultimately fell in the ninth by a score of 9-4 to Incarnate Word Wednesday evening.
Ariel Ortiz, Taylor Webb, and Jaelyn Young all led the Bobcats with two hits apiece and two Bobcats drew walks. Overall, Texas State falls to 21-10 on the year and 7-4 at Bobcat Softball Stadium.
The score remained tied at 0-0 through four innings before a three-run home run in the top of the fifth by Alex Alonzo put the Cardinals ahead of Texas State.
The Bobcats answered, however, in the bottom of the third by piecing together four hits to score three runs. Back-to-back doubles by Ortiz and Kendall Wiley got the Bobcat offense rolling to lead-off the inning. After a pitching change with no outs, Webb connected on a pitch to make it three-straight Bobcat hits to put runners on the corners with no outs and the score sitting at 3-1.
A sacrifice bunt by Lexi Fryar moved the runners to second and third for Young. Young then registered her second hit of the night to left to score Wiley. The third run of the Bobcat inning came from a fielder's choice play by Bianca Prado.
Six straight outs in the seventh inning by both teams sent the Bobcats and the Cardinals into extras. Tonight's game was the third game this season that Texas State has gone into extras. Until tonight, the Bobcats were 2-0 in extra inning affairs.
With the international tiebreaker rule in effect, it took two batters for the Cardinals to take a 4-3 lead over Texas State with a single through the right side.
In the bottom of the eighth with one out and Ortiz on third from a wild pitch, Webb registered her second hit of the game to tie the ball game up at four apiece.
Another home run by the Cardinals' Alonzo in the top of the ninth inning broke open the gates to make it a 7-4 Incarnate Word lead. Back-to-back doubles mixed with a wild pitch sent two more Cardinals around to score and put the game all but out of reach for Texas State.
Prado, the runner placed on second in the ninth, stayed there as the side was retired in order to end the game.
Charleston was handed her third loss of the season in 4.0 innings of work. Paige Williams started for the Bobcats and combined they struck out 10 batters and walked just two.
Texas State will continue conference play this weekend starting on Friday against UL Monroe. First pitch Friday afternoon is scheduled for 2 p.m. The Bobcats and the Warhawks will play a doubleheader on Friday and a single game on Saturday. Live stats, live audio, and live video will be available at www.txstatebobcats.com.