Highlights from Day 2 of the Southland Conference Softball Tournament
by Cheval John
Here are the highlights from day 2 of the Southland Conference Softball Tournament
Game 5 (1) Texas A&M Corpus Christi 5 (6) Northwestern State 1
Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders eliminated the Northwestern State Demons by the score of 5-1.
The Demons struck first in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by rightfielder Kayla Cole (1-3).
The Islanders would tie it at 1-1 in the top of the fifth on a two-out RBI single by Huntsville native Caley Jeter (1-3).
They would score 3 runs in the top of the sixth to make it 4-1. Shortstop Lauren Dodson (0-3) led off the inning with a walk. Meagan McKinney pinched run for Dodson. Then McKinney stole second to put herself in scoring position. Then thirdbaseman Kacie Smith’s (1-4) single advanced McKinney to third. Smith would steal second to put herself in scoring position. McKinney scored the go-ahead run on an RBI single by designated hitter Sandy Schumann (1-1) who replace starter Stephanie Vead. Two more runs would score on a throwing error by thirdbaseman Tiffany Ward.
Catcher Brittany Tucker (1-4) scored the fifth run of teh game in the top of the seventh on a throwing error by relief pitcher Brooke Boening. Tucker double earlier in the inning with two outs.
According to Caley Jeter, “It’s awesome for me to come back to Huntsville and play in the tournament.”
Game 6 (5) University of Texas- San Antonio 4 (2) University of Texas at Arliington 3 F 11
The University of Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners (UTSA) elimated the University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks (UTA) by the score of 4-3 in 11 innings.
Secondbaseman Ashley Kappler (2-6) scored the game winning run on a throwing error by catcher Rachel Forsaw, who tried to turn an inning ending double on a fielders choice play. Forsaw replaced starting catcher Erica LeFlore earlier in the game.
Pinch hitter Haylee Stanton (1-3) started the inning with a single and would advance on a sacrifice bunt by shortstop Carrie Monroe (1-5). She would advance to third on a single by Ashley Kappler. Kappler stole second and catcher Molly Fichtner walked to load the bases that set up the dramatic ending.
The Mavericks scored first in the bottom of the first on a RBI single by Erica LeFlore (2-4).
Thirdbaseman Kristin Kappler’s (1-6) RBI single tied it up at 1-1 for the Roadrunners.
They scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth on firstbaseman Caitlyn Ivy’s (2-5) RBI single and on centerfielder Stephanie Gonzalez’s error that allowed the second run to score and for Ivy to advance to third.
Shortstop Courtney Enocksen’s (1-5) two-run single tied it up at 3-3 in the top of the sixth for the Mavericks.
Emily Humpal pitched five innings in relieve and got the win for the Roadrunners while starting pitcher Teri Lyles got the loss in a gutsy performance for the Mavericks.
Game 7 (3) Texas State 2 (4) McNeese State 1
The Texas State Bobcats defeated the McNeese State Cowgirls by the score of 2-1 to advance to the championship game.
The Bobcats struck first in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by catcher Megan Parten.
The Cowgirls would tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the third on an RBI single by secondbaseman Katie Roux.
The key play of the game happened in the top of the sixth when leftfielder Allana Divittorio was robbed of a homerun by centerfielder Allyce Rother.
Parten hit another RBI single in the bottom of the sixth that turned out to be the game-winning run for the Bobcats.
Jenna Emery threw two innings in relieve and got the win for the Bobcats while starting pitcher Kayla Sheperd got the loss for the Cowgirls.
The Bobcats are now 3-0 in the tournament while the Cowgirls are 2-1.
Game 8 (1) Texas A&M Corpus Christi 6 (5) UTSA 5 F 8
Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders eliminated University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Roadrunners by the score of 6-5 in eight innings.
Rightfielder Lauren Sanders (2-2) scored the game winning run in the bottom of the eight on a wild pitch by pitcher Haylee Stanton. Sanders led off the inning with an infield single. Secondbaseman Caley Jeter followed with a single. Both runners would advance to second and third, respectively on a sacrifice bunt by centerfielder Hannah Schwarz (1-3) that set up the wild finish.
The Islanders scored first in the bottom of the first on a RBI sacrifice fly by shortstop Lauren Dodson (1-3).
Thirdbaseman Kristin Kappler’s (1-2) three-run home run in the top of the fourth gave the Roadrunners a 3-1 lead.
The Islanders exploded for four runs in the bottom of the fourth on a pair of RBI doubles by firstbaseman Jamise Jackson (1-3) and designated hitter Stephanie Vead (1-2), respectively and an RBI single by Huntsville native Caley Jeter and a RBI sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Laura Phillips that made it 5-3.
Roadrunners tied it at 5-5 in the top of the sixth on a two-run double by pinch hitter Danye Holmes.
The Islanders will face the McNeese State Cowgirls in game 9 today at 10:30 a.m. The winner of that game will face the Texas State Bobcats in the championship elimination game at 2:00 p.m. They would need to win two games in the championship in order to win the tournament while Texas State will only need to win one. The championship game will be televised on the Southland Conference Television Network.
Highlights from Day 1 of the Southland Conference Softball Tournament
by Cheval John
The 2011 Southland Conference Softball Tournament was hosted by Sam Houston State University at the Bearkat Softball Complex in Huntsville, Texas. There would be a four hour rain delay after Game 1 that push the other games from Game 2 from their normal starting times to a later starting time. The last game would finish close to midnight. Here are the highlights from Day 1:
Game 1 (4) McNeese State 7 (5) University of Texas at San Antonio 1
The McNeese State Cowgirls defeated the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)Roadrunners by the score of 7-1 in the first game of the tournament.
Leftfielder Nikki Goff (1-2) hit a lined shot solo homerun in the top of the third that gave the Roadrunners a 1-0 lead.
The Cowgirls exploded for four runs in the bottom of the fifth on a three-run home run by shortstop Molly Guidry (1-1) and an RBI single by designated hitter Kourtney Kober (1-2).
They would add three more runs in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run home run by firstbaseman Katie Shumaker (2-4) and on a throwing error by Roadrunner secondbaseman Ashley Kappier.
Starting pitcher Kayla Sheperd got the win for the Cowgirls, giving up a run, with six hits and striking out seven, while starting pitcher Emily Humpal got the loss for the Roadrunners.
Game 2 (3) Texas State 8 (6) Northwestern State 0 F 6
Texas State -San Marcos Bobcats run ruled the Northwestern State Demons by the score of 8-0.
The Bobcats scored in the bottom of the first on a RBI single by designated hitter McKenzie Baack (2-3).
In the bottom of the second, leftfielder Lindsay Matt (2-3) singled with two outs. She would score the second run for the Bobcats on a stolen base and a two base error on the same play.
They would score the third run of the game in the bottom of the third with two outs on an RBI double by secondbaseman Anna Hernandez (1-4).
Starting pitcher Chandler Hall (2-3) singled in the fourth run of the game in the bottom of the fourth with two outs.
The Bobcats added four more runs in the bottom of the six that made it 8-0.
Hall got the win for the Bobcats, going six innings with five strike outs, while starting pitcher Kelee Grimes took the loss for the Demons.
Game 3 (4) McNeese State 1 (1) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0 F 8
Game three of the tournament belong to the McNeese State Cowgirls as they shocked number one seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 1-0 in eight innings.
Leftfielder Alanna Divittorio (2-4) blasted a solo homerun off the scoreboard in the top of the eight that gave the Cowgirls a 1-0 lead.
The Islanders had an opportunity to win it in the bottom of the seventh as pinch hitter Stephanie Vead (1-1) singled with two-outs. Starting secondbaseman and Huntsville native Caley Jeter (1-4) pinch run for Vead and would advance to second on a walk to Designated Hitter Jamise Jackson (0-2). But centerfielder Hannah Schwarz (0-4) flied out to end the inning, leaving the game-winning run on second.
Starting pitcher Megan Bond got the shut-out win for the Cowgirls while starting pitcher Greta Cechetti got the loss for the Islanders.
Game 4 (3) Texas State 6 (2) University of Texas at Arlington 1
The Texas State Bobcats defeated the University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks by the score of 6-1.
The Bobcats scored three runs in the top of the third on a pair of RBI singles by leftfielder Chandler Hall (2-4), designated hitter McKenzie Baack (3-3) and secondbaseman Anna Hernandez (1-4).
They would add three more in the top of the seventh on a pair of RBI singles by Baack, thirdbaseman Jenna Emery (1-3) and on a error by thirdbaseman Taylor Zink.
The Mavericks would score their only run in the bottom of the seventh on a solo homerun by catcher Erica LeFlore (1-3).
Starting pitcher Anna Marie Taylor struck out 12 and got the win for the Bobcats while starting pitcher Callie Collins got the loss for the Mavericks.
The Islanders (0-1) will face Northwestern State (0-1) in Game 5 on Friday at noon
UT-Arlington (0-1) will play UTSA (0-1) in Game 6 at 2:30 p.m.
The Bobcats (2-0) will face McNeese State (2-0) in Game 7 at 5 p.m.
For more information on the tournament, visit the Southland Conference website at: www.southland.org.
Welcome to Mr. Rodgers’ Neighborhood
As the saying goes “Patience is a virtue”. That saying is more true for Aaron Rodgers. After being drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the first round in 2005, he was a backup quarterback to Brett Favre, who at the time was the starter.
During that time for 3 years, he had to sit on the bench and look on as Favre was starting every game during his streak. Rodgers learned the system of the Packers and did not complain about it. He felt that his time was coming to be the starting quarterback of the Packers.
Then his opportunity finally came when Favre had announced his “retirement” from the NFL. It would have been a smooth transition if Favre did not change his mind and tried to hold the Packers hostage. In that drama, Rodgers kept his cool and handle the situation with class and dignity.
Rodgers did not fail to disappoint because he played very well during his three years as a starter. Then there is the Super Bowl when he passed for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns, and led the Packers to victory and won the MVP.
His story shows that even if things don’t go your way immediately, you have to be patient and wait until the opportunity comes to shine. In the end , it will be more sweeter than you can ever imagine.
A Weekend Not to Remember
by Cheval John
While students are either heading for home, South Padre or Mexico for Spring Break, the Sam Houston State University Bearkats’ baseball and softball teams hosted the University of Texas at Arlington and Texas State University-San Marcos, respectively this past weekend.
The Bearkats’ softball team had a three game series with Texas State with a double-header on Saturday. They were coming off a 15-7 road win against Texas Southern University on Wednesday night.
The first game did not have much offense. With a scoreless game going into the second inning, Texas State’s Jenna Emery single to start the inning and then advancing to second on a sacrifice. Macie Hair hit a line drive that went over the head of centerfielder Tayler Gray that brought home what would be the only run of the game.
It was all that starting pitcher Chandler Hall needed as she throwed a no-hitter against the Kats.
The second game got worse as Texas State scored 7 runs in the first inning with a pair of RBI singles and a 2-run homerun by Jenna Emery. In the second inning, it seemed as if the Bearkats had a chance to make a comeback when Tayler Gray blasted a 2-run homerun that hit off the scoreboard.
But in the end, it was too much as Texas State added 2 runs in the third and 2 more in the sixth that led to an 8-run rule win.
On Sunday, the men’s baseball team hosted UT-Arlington with the series being tied at 1-1. The game would be played down to the wire with missed opportunities and questionable calls.
UT-Arlington’s Ryan Walker led the game off with a walk. Then he stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch with Preston Beck driving him home on a ground out to make it 1-0. Chad Comer made it 2-0 with a solo homerun.
The Bearkats scored a run in the bottom of the inning and in the second inning, Daniel Nottebart drove the first pitch over the right field wall to tie the game at 2-2.
It would be deadlock going into the ninth inning. Before the inning began, former SHSU baseball coach John Skeeters said, (This game will be decided by mistakes and errors). The Kats retired the side and in the bottom of the inning with one out, Mark Hudson drew a walk and then advanced to third when the first baseman missed the ball as they were attempted to pick him off. Braeden Riley was intentially walked and with runners on first and third with two strikes, Kevin Miller struck out on an attempted bunt trying to drive home the winning run and in the process, Hudson was caught in a run down and was tagged out to send the game to extra innings.
UT-Arlington took advantage and scored two runs and the Bearkats came up short in the bottom of the inning and lost the game by the score of 4-2.
Both the men and women played very hard, but it was not meant for them to win. Both teams will redeem themselves because they have two great coaches that know how to motivate and drive them to succeed.
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