Sunday, March 15, 2015
Texas State Head Coach Ricci Woodard Wins 500th Game On Walk-Off Hit
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Junior first baseman Kendall Wiley hit a single to centerfield to score the winning run to give the Texas State softball team a 5-4 victory and head coach Ricci Woodard her 500th career victory Sunday afternoon against Georgia State. The Bobcats snapped the Panther’s program record 15-game winning streak en route to their 16th victory of the season. Texas State improves to 4-2 in Sun Belt Conference play.
Woodard, who is currently in her 15th season as the head coach of the Bobcats, becomes the 106th Division 1 coach all-time to achieve the milestone. She is the winningest coach all-time at Texas State.
Courtney Harris led the Bobcats at the plate with a 2-for-3 showing including a two-run home run in her second at bat of the day. Wiley also posted a pair of hits and three total RBI for Texas State as she has now extended her on base streak to a career-best 27 games.
Wiley got the Bobcats on the board in the bottom half of the first as she singled up the middle with Courtney Harris on second and Ariel Ortiz on third. Both runners scored and Wiley would advance to second on the throw. A ground out by Lexi Fryar would get the Panthers out of the inning, but not before Texas State would take an early lead.
After a scoreless second, the Bobcats proceeded to tack on two more runs in the bottom of the third after Harris launched her fourth home run of the season, scoring Ortiz who doubled to lead-off the inning.
Down four through four innings, the Panthers began to chip away at the Texas State lead in the fifth inning with a two-run home run.
Georgia State then tacked on another run in the sixth and the seventh innings to tie-up the contest.
Wiley led the seventh inning off with a walk, but three straight outs would force the game to go into extra innings.
The Bobcats and the Panthers then exchanged a scoreless eighth before Wiley’s biggest hit of the game came in the ninth. Harris led the bottom of the ninth with a hard hit ball to the pitcher, resulting in an infield single for the senior third baseman. Kortney Koroll would then move Harris to third on a sacrifice bunt after a wild pitch sent Harris to second. With the outfield playing in, Wiley smacked her single over the head of the centerfielder to score Harris for the victory.
Kaylee Garner earned her second victory of the year after putting in four innings of work in relief for Randi Rupp. Rupp and Garner combined for nine strikeouts.
Texas State will continue play at home this week with a doubleheader scheduled against former Southland Conference foe Stephen F. Austin. First pitch Wednesday afternoon is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Bobcat Softball Stadium. Live stats, live video, and live audio will be available at www.txstatebobcats.com.
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Warhawks Split Doubleheader Series with #23 South Alabama
MONROE, La. – Powered by a two-hit, shut out from Melanie Coyne, the Warhawks picked up the first game of the doubleheader to top #23 South Alabama for the first time since the 2011 season.
The Warhawks (18-7, 4-1 SBC) issued the Jaguars (17-6, 2-3 SBC) their first run-rule loss of the season. It marked ULM’s first victory over a ranked opponent since the 2012 season when the Warhawks defeated in-state rival #5 ULL.
Sophomore Rochelle Roberts picked up four hits in the series to extend her hit streak to nine games. Roberts scored two runs and picked up an RBI against the Jaguars.
Coyne continued her win streak in conference play picking up her third Sun Belt win to move to 5-3 on the season. Coyne shutout the Jaguars offense in game one and allowed only two hits. The sophomore also continue to prove strong at the plate with two hits and two RBI.
Game One (W, 8-0)
Coyne dealt a two-hit, shut out as the Warhawks topped #23 South Alabama in game one of the doubleheader series, giving ULM its first victory over the Jaguars since the 2011 season.
The victory was also ULM’s first over a ranked opponent since the Warhawks topped #5 ULL in the 2012 season.
Coyne dealt six innings of two-hit, shut out softball as she struck out one and issued three walks. Coyne moved to 5-3 on the season. USA’s Kalen McGill was charged with the loss, her first on the season, to move to 7-1.
Sophomore Rochelle Roberts went 3-for-4 and reached base in all four appearances. Roberts scored two runs and picked up one RBI. Coyne was just as lethal at the plate as in the circle as she went 2-for-2 with two RBI.
Four different Warhawks picked up RBI on the evening, as ULM earned eight runs on 10 hits against the USA pitching staff.
After exchanging two scoreless innings, ULM struck in the bottom of the third. Sophomore Sidney Coy led off the inning with a single up the middle and would swipe second during Coyne’s at bat.
Coyne moved Coy to third with a sacrifice bunt, and Roberts singled through the left side to drive in the run.
Roberts would swipe second and be joined on the bags by redshirt senior Miyuki Navarrete who reached on a dropped third strike. Senior Alexis Cacioppo singled through the left side for her 18th RBI on the year and put ULM up 2-0.
The Warhawks pressured South Alabama in fourth inning. The Jaguars picked up two quick outs, but Coy singled through the left side to give ULM a base runner. Coy swiped second and would come home on a throwing error by USA’s catcher Chloe Rathburn.
Coyne singled up the middle and Roberts reached on a second USA error of the inning, this one charged to third baseman Emily Messer. Navarrete drew the walk to load the bases. A wild pitch from Kaleigh Floore scored a run and put the Warhawks up 4-0 after four.
Junior Amye Barre led off the fifth inning with a walk, and was lifted for junior Kaitlyn Dupuis as a pitch runner. Dupuis swiped second to move into scoring position. Freshman Cheyanne Lyon drew a walk to put two Warhawks on the base path.
With two outs, senior Molly Mackey stepped to the plate in a pinch hit appearance. Mackey got aboard with a hit by pitch to load the bases with two outs. Coyne helped herself with an RBI single to extend her lead to 6-0 after five.
Roberts led off the sixth inning with a single up the middle. After swiping second, Roberts advanced to third on Navarrete’s single to left field. Navarrete swiped to second to move two runners into scoring position.
With one out, Barre drew a walk to load the bases and the Warhawks used back-to-back hit by pitches to score two and take an 8-0 run-rule victory.
Game Two (L, 0-2)
Pitching dominated the second game of the series, as South Alabama held the Warhawks to a lone hit to take a 0-2 victory in game two to split the series.
Freshman Paige Porter dealt five innings allowing three hits and two runs as she kept South Alabama hitless through three innings. Porter moved to 7-2 on the season.
South Alabama’s Farish Beard picked up the win to move to 1-1.
Roberts picked up ULM’s lone hit in the game to extend her hit streak to nine games.
After three scoreless and hitless innings, South Alabama broke open the game with a two-out homer from Kaitlyn Griffith.
The Jaguars used a lead-off homer in the sixth inning from Stephanie Pilkington to take a 2-0 lead.
Roberts broke the no-hit bid in the bottom of the sixth, but the Warhawks could not manufacture a run and fell 0-2.
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Troy Completes Sweep Against Appalachian State
TROY, Alabama – The Troy softball team completed its first sweep of the season on Sunday, beating Appalachian State, 11-2, in five innings at the Troy Softball Complex.
Hannah Day sparked the Trojan offense as she knocked in five of the Trojans' 11 runs and went 3-for-4 on the day with one double and one home run. Day also picked up five RBI in the series' first game yesterday.
Troy (16-12, 3-3 Sun Belt) scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning via Day's fourth home run of the year.
Day then singled home the first run of the second inning for her third RBI of the day. Michelle Phelps drove in another run on a sacrifice fly to right field, to make the score 4-1. Ashley Rainey smashed a 1-0 pitch in the gap to left center field to score the final two runs of the inning as she gave the Trojans a 6-1 advantage.
The Trojans were not done scoring as they put up three more runs in the third, as Kate Benton plated Khadija Neely who reached on a double, to put the Trojans up 7-1. Day doubled through the left side, to score Benton and Carli Kayler, for her fourth and fifth RBIs of the contest.
Troy struck again in the bottom of the fourth as it scored both its runs on Mountaineer errors, to put the game away.
Sara Mock (3-6) started for Trojans and picked up her second win of the series as she pitched three innings and only allowed one run on four hits. Jaycee Affeldt struck out the side in her one inning of relief work. Sarah Thomas also made an appearance, her second of the year, as she pitched an inning and allowed one run.
Troy's 10 hits came from four different Trojans. Along with Day's three hits, Benton went 2-for-3 with an RBI, Rainey went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs, and Neely went 3-for-3 with a double.
Appalachian State (8-13, 0-6 Sun Belt) scored its first run in the top of the second on a single by Pepper Butler. Its other run came in the top of the fifth on a wild pitch that scored Cynthia Gomez.
Troy will be back in action on Wednesday as it travels to Tallahassee, Fla., to take on No. 10 Florida State. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. CT.
For more information on Troy softball visit TroyTrojans.com or follow us on Twitter at @TroyTrojansSB.