Saturday, March 21, 2015
UTA caps day with walk-off win
ARLINGTON, Texas – On a day that marked the grand opening of the UTA Softball Clubhouse, UT Arlington walked off with a sweep of Georgia Southern on Saturday at Allan Saxe Field.
The Mavericks (17-14, 2-3 SBC) won their third consecutive game in a dramatic fashion, taking Game 2 with a walk-off single by senior Nina Villanueva.
"We had great energy today," UT Arlington coach Kristie Fox said. "They were so excited to show up to the ballpark and that is what these facilities do. When you are excited to show up to work every day, you do a good job and they did today."
A strong pitching performance from UTA's starters helped pave the way to taking both games. Sam Montes and Taylor Simmonds combined for 12 strikeouts, as each sat down a season high.
"They both did a great job," Fox said. "They were hitting their spots and mixing their speeds and competing. I think that was the biggest thing. I don't think Taylor didn't knew that she was going to be the pitcher in the second game and I sprung it on her and she was ready to go, and that is what we need all year long."
UTA looks to complete the three-game series sweep on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Game 1: UT Arlington 7, Georgia Southern 1
Montes fanned a season-high five batters to improve to 7-8 and helped UT Arlington win its SBC home opener.
The Mavericks picked up hits from eight of their nine starters and had 11 overall. Seniors Meagan Michele and Villanueva were each 2-for-4 to lead UTA, while Mallory Foster produced two RBI and scored a run.
Montes, allowing just an earned run in the contest, gave up two hits through her first six innings and four overall. Georgia Southern produced its first run with a homer in the seventh. Montes finished with her sixth complete game, and second consecutive.
UTA's offense jumped into gear in the first, scoring two runs on three hits. Michele provided the first on a single to center to score Sandra Mendoza. Foster added to the lead with a sacrifice fly to left.
Back-to-back singles started off a three-run third for the Mavericks before errors plagued the Eagles. UTA took advantage of the two miscues and Jolene Schaefer's RBI single to right capped the inning.
Foster and sophomore Kacey Everett each had a RBI hit in the fifth to finish off scoring for the Mavs.
Game 2: UT Arlington 2, Georgia Southern 1
UTA's offense needed six innings before it was able to come alive to finish the doubleheader.
Georgia Southern held a 1-0 lead until the bottom of the sixth when sophomore Shelbi Sikes battled at the plate and was hit on the fifth pitch of the at-bat. Haley Henson tied things up two batters later with a single through the right side to score Sikes.
Mendoza, hitting a blistering .705 (31-44) as a leadoff hitter, opened the seventh with a double to the wall. Britnea Barilli pushed her over with a sac bunt and Villanueva drove Mendoza home for the walk-off win.
"We all just wanted to get it done and not have to go in extra innings," Villanueva said. "The fact that Sandra led off with the double was awesome, and Britnea got the bunt down and I knew I just had to get a base hit to win."
Simmonds (4-0) kept the Mavericks in the game. The UTA starter struck out seven, gave up five hits and did not allow a walk.
----
Johnson's Walk-Off Triple Clinches Game Two and Series Versus Appalachian State
MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama senior left fielder Blair Johnson supplied a two-run, walk-off triple as the Jaguars came from behind to win 3-2 in game two of Saturday's Sun Belt Conference doubleheader versus Appalachian State, which USA swept to claim its first league series victory of the year.
USA (20-6, 4-3 SBC) defeated the Mountaineers (9-15, 0-8 SBC), 6-1, in game one behind a pair of three-run innings.
Sunday's series finale is slated for a noon start. Links to live stats, live video streaming and ticket information can be found by accessing the Jaguar softball schedule page. In-game Twitter updates are provided via the program's official handle, @USAJagsSoftball.
"We got good pitching today, and we got a good couple of innings in the first game that was the difference-maker," said USA head coach Becky Clark. "In game two, it took us a little while, but we competed the entire game. [Alyssa] Linn came off the bench and gave us a spark, and Blair got something she could turn on. [Senior] Farish [Beard] and [freshman] Devin [Brown] pitched well for us."
Johnson's walk-off represented one of her two hits on the day, but the Kimberly, Ala., native accounted for three RBI on Saturday. Sophomore catcher Chloe Rathburn led USA offensively, going 4-for-7 with two RBI and a run scored.
Junior centerfielder Stephanie Pilkington was 3-for-7 with three RBI and a pair of runs. Senior first baseman Amanda Herron recorded a pair of doubles on the day, while junior third baseman Emily Messer and freshman Haleigh Lowe scored two runs apiece.
Beard picked up her third win in as many appearances since her return last weekend in game one, striking out 10 to one walk and giving up only one run (unearned) on five hits. Brown moved to 9-4 with her game-two victory after striking out nine and allowing two runs (both earned) on seven Mountaineer hits.
Game One – South Alabama 6, Appalachian State 1
South Alabama scratched three runs across in the bottom of the first to go ahead early on Appalachian State in the initial contest between the programs. Messer reached on a Mountaineer fielding error and was joined on the bases by Pilkington, who singled and then stole second, a batter later.
Rathburn scored the pair on a double to left center to put the Jags ahead, 2-0. Johnson then delivered a two-out single to right center for a third run.
USA went down in order over the next three frames before another three-run inning doubled the hosts output. The Jaguars loaded the bases to set Pilkington up for a three-run double. Lowe drew a one-out walk and was joined by Messer and sophomore right fielder Amanda Minahan after each singled.
Prior to the second three-run burst, Appalachian State scored on a Jaguar fielding error when second baseman Cynthia Gomez came around from third. Gomez walked initially and then moved to second on Dani Heichen's bunt single. Catcher Sarah Warnock singled to put Gomez on third.
Beard retired the Mountaineers in order in the sixth and seventh innings to secure her third win of the year. Over her last 20 innings, Beard has struck out 28 to three walks and allowed one earned run on eight hits.
Pilkington finished the contest 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored. Rathburn was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run. Messer scored twice.
Vanessa Ciocatto (3-5) suffered the loss for Appalachian State after giving up three runs (two earned) on three hits in as many innings. Reliever Katherine Johnson also gave up three runs (all earned) on five hits in 1 2/3. Alissa Schoelkopf threw 1 1/3 and gave up one hit.
USA outhit the Mountaineers, 9-5, in the contest, while each team committed an error apiece.
Game Two – South Alabama 3, Appalachian State 2
Appalachian State took a two-run lead in the top of the first inning of game two when Warnock homered to right field, scoring Gomez, who drew a leadoff walk, in the process.
The Jaguars cut that lead in half in the bottom of the second on freshman Kaleigh Todd's RBI single, which plated Lowe, who was also dealt a leadoff walk. The RBI was Todd's first since Feb. 8 against Houston.
USA managed only a hit and walk until the bottom of the sixth frame when Griffith singled and moved to second on Lowe's sacrifice bunt. After stealing third, Griffith was stranded following a pair of Jaguar pop ups.
South Alabama's comeback effort in the bottom of the second was initiated by Linn, who came off the bench to deliver a hard-hit single through the right side. Pilkington then got on with a bunt single when Mountaineer infielder Caroline Rogers collided with teammate Heather Josey after fielding the ball.
A Rathburn fly out preceded Johnson's at-bat, which resulted in a pair of Jaguar runs when Johnson sent a triple down the right field line, allowing Pilkington and Linn to score from first and second, respectively, which marked USA's third walk-off victory this season.
The triple was the eighth of Johnson's career, which stands as the second-most in program history. Johnson also moved to fourth all-time (195) in games played at South Alabama. Griffith (184) is currently seventh.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
----
Hamilton Helps Cajuns Bounce Back For Split With Troy
LAFAYETTE – Christina Hamilton retired 15 of the final 18 batters she faced after play resumed following a weather delay in the second game of a Sun Belt Conference doubleheader with Troy guiding the No. 7 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball team to a 6-3 win that earned the squad a split of the twinbill Saturday at Lamson Park.
Earlier in the day, the visiting Trojans (18-13, 4-4 Sun Belt) used a five-run, sixth inning in the opening game to rally and take a 9-5 win over the Ragin’ Cajuns (24-4, 9-2 Sun Belt) snapping Louisiana’s 27-game win streak at Lamson Park.
The two teams are scheduled to complete the three-game SBC series, weather permitting, with a single game at Noon on Sunday.
Hamilton struck out a season-high eight batters in helping the Cajuns rebound from the game one loss. She is now undefeated in her last 18 Sun Belt Conference starts.
Shellie Landry and Lexie Elkins each homered in the nightcap, each posting their team-leading 12th home run of the season.
Jordan Wallace was charged with the loss in the opening contest after yielding a season-high six runs in five innings. Ten free passes (six walks, four hit batters) wound up playing a factor in the Trojans being able to hand Wallace her first loss since March 1 at No. 4 Alabama.
Hannah Day delivered the game-winning hit for Troy in the sixth inning. Trailing 5-4, her bases loaded single with two outs gave Troy a 6-5 lead that reliever Jaycee Affeldt held on to by shutting out the Cajuns in their final two at bats.
The Trojans struck first in the nightcap with a two-run home run by designated player Ashley Rainey.
Landry’s home run, in the Cajuns’ second at bat of the game, followed up a Haley Hayden walk and quickly the Cajuns knotted the score at 2-all.
Troy starting pitcher Sara Mock walked Elkins and Samantha Walsh before giving way to Affeldt. After a wild pitch moved pinch runner Cassidy White to third base and Walsh to second base, a slap grounder back to Affeldt from Lenadra Maly led to White scoring the go-ahead run.
Aleah Craighton tripled to score Walsh. Craighton then scored on a wild pitch during a strikeout of DJ Sanders to push the Cajuns lead to 5-2.
A 1 hour, 35 minute rain delay began before the second inning started. When play resumed, Hamilton set the pace by retiring the side in three of the first four innings.
Hamilton’s only mistake down the stretch was a solo home run allowed to Becca Hartley leading off the fourth inning that trimmed the lead to 5-3. Elkins got the run back in the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo home run to center field.
DIAMOND NOTES: Haley Hayden reached base in both games, extending her reached-base streak to 17 games which ties her career best from 2014…Jordan Wallace moved past Kim Eisnaugle into sole possession of fourth place in career strikeouts, with her seven strikeouts moving her to 817 in her career…Jordan Wallace in four strikeouts shy of passing Kyla Hall for third place…Haley Hayden was held hitless in game one, snapping her eight-game hitting streak…The game one win was Troy’s first at Lamson Park since April 21, 2007…Louisiana lost at Lamson Park for the first time in 2015, resulting in a 27-game win streak at the facility being snapped…The last loss at Lamson Park came on May 9, 2014 to South Alabama in the winner’s bracket final of the 2014 Sun Belt Tournament…The Cajuns had a lineup change with Lendra Maly moving to sixth in the batting order and Aleah Craighton hitting seventh – the first change in the order since Feb. 7…Shellie Landry’s two-run home run in game two provided her with her 10th multiple-RBI game of the season, tying her with Lexie Elkins for the team lead…Shellie Landry’s 12 home runs leave her three shy of her personal season-best 15 hit as a freshman in 2013…Leandra Maly’s throwing error in the sixth inning of game one ended the Cajuns string of six straight error-free games and was only the 11th game this season (out of 27) with an error…Louisiana now leads the all-time series with Troy 27-5, which includes a 15-2 mark at Lamson Park…Troy’s win in game one of the twinbill snapped the Cajuns seven-game win streak in the series.
----
Caldwell and Litumbe Lead the Way as GSU Splits on Day 2 in Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Behind two home runs by Megan Litumbe and a three-run bomb by Kensey Caldwell, the Georgia State softball team defeated Eastern Michigan 9-3 before falling short against No. 22 Kansas.
Litumbe finished 3-for-5 at the plate with two homers, three runs scored and three RBI. She now leads the Panthers with 10 home runs this season after hitting nine all of last season. Ivie Drake finished the day with five hits to go with three runs scored and three RBI.
Game 1
Georgia State defeated Eastern Michigan 9-3 to avenge an extra-inning loss to the Eagles the night before. Caldwell led the way at the plate with three RBI while Drake scored three times and drove in one.
GSU jumped in front early with two runs in the bottom of the first. Taylor Anderson started the inning with a walk and then advanced on a sacrifice bunt. After Drake walked, Callie Alford drove in Anderson with an RBI single. Drake then scored on an error to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.
Eastern Michigan tied it 2-2 with one swing of the bat in the second on Taylor Wyman’s two-run home run. Georgia State respond with four runs in the third to reclaim the lead. Caldwell launched a three-run shot with two outs to give the Panthers a lead. Mandy Blackwell then hit a solo shot to cap the inning.
After both teams scored a run in the fourth and a scoreless fifth, GSU added two to its advantage in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 9-3 game. Ashley Christy drove in one with an RBI double before scoring on a wild pitch. Worley then retired the Eagle side in the top of the seventh to pick up the complete-game win.
Game 2
Georgia State scored three runs in the top of the seventh, but the Panthers comeback fell short as GSU was defeated by No. 22 Kansas 8-6. Litumbe hit her ninth and tenth homers of the season while Drake finished 3-for-4 with two RBI.
GSU threatened in the top of the first but a double play ended the inning with two runners on. In the bottom of the frame, Kansas took a 4-0 lead thanks to a lead-off triple, RBI single and three-run homer.
Litumbe open the second inning with a solo home run to put the Panthers on the board. Then Lauren Coleman launched a solo shot to cut the Kansas advantage to 4-2. The Jayhawks responded with a single run in the bottom of the second to go back up by three, 5-2.
In the top of the third Christy was hit by a pitch and stole second before scoring on Drake’s RBI double. The Panthers could have done more damage but a strikeout stranded two to end the threat. Kansas again responded with a single run in the bottom half to maintain three-run lead, 6-3.
The Jayhawks scored one in the bottom of the fourth. It could have been more but Taylor Thorpe limited the damage by forcing a groundout to end the inning with the bases loaded. Kansas then pushed its lead to 8-3 after six.
Anderson led off the top of the seventh with a single and then stole second. She scored on Drake’s RBI double to cut the Jayhawks’ lead to 8-4. Then Litumbe launched a two-run homer to left to pull GSU within two, 8-6. However, Kansas forced a groundout to end the game and secure the win.