Published: March 26, 2008 12:41 am            

Not enough offense

McNeese State shuts down Bearkats in doubleheader sweep

After being away on a 27-game road trip, Tuesday wasn’t the homecoming the Sam Houston State softball team was hoping for. In fact, it was a day the Bearkats would like to forget.

McNeese State got some timely hits and the pitching duo of Michelle LaVoie and Bethany Stefinsky shut down the Sam Houston State offense, as the Cowgirls swept a Southland Conference doubleheader at Bearkat Softball Stadium.

The Bearkats (15-17 overall, 6-5 in SLC) jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first inning of game one but gave up a run in the fifth and sixth to fall 3-2. The nightcap was all McNeese State (12-24, 5-6), as Stefinsky (2-5) took a no-hit bid into the bottom of the sixth in a 3-1 victory.

“We got base hits but they didn’t come at the right time with runners in scoring position,” SHSU junior catcher Casie Everitt said. “That has pretty much been our season so far. Hopefully we can come out (today) and win a game.”

The Kats and Cowgirls wrap up their three-game series today with a single game starting at noon.

On Tuesday, it looked like Sam Houston was going to have a big day at the plate after McNeese State scored a run on a single by LaVoie in the opening frame of the first game. First baseman Amy Brown reached on an error to start the bottom half of the inning and moved into scoring position on a one-out single by Hailey Wigington.

Starting pitcher Morgan Mikulin helped her own cause with a sharp RBI single to center field, and Wigington moved to third on the throw. Everitt then ripped a sacrifice fly to center to make it 2-1. Senior shortstop Tanya Hooser also singled in the first, as the Bearkats tallied three hits in the inning.

But almost as quickly as Sam Houston got started, the bats suddenly went cold. The Bearkats managed only three more hits over the next six innings on singles by Everitt and Hooser and a double by Brown.

The Cowgirls tied the game on an RBI double by Holly Long that was just fair down the left-field line in the top of the fifth. The game-winner came on a solo home run by Molly Guidry off Mikulin (9-7) to lead off the sixth.

McNeese also threatened to add a couple of more runs with a pair of runners on an one out following Guidry’s blast, but junior Brandi Crnkovic came in and pitched 1 2/3 hitless innings to close the game.

Sam Houston just couldn’t pull the trigger at the plate. Brown’s double came in the bottom of the seventh with one out, but Ashley Nelson and Mikulin both grounded out to end the contest.

“We just need to hit better,” SHSU head coach Bob Brock said. “We need to come out (today) and get a one-game winning streak going.”

Crnkovic (6-10) took the circle in game two and pitched well, recording 10 strikeouts and giving up five hits in seven innings. She made one bad pitch that came in the top of the third that McNeese State designated player Jenny Clay belted over the left-field fence for a two-run homer.

The Cowgirls also scored in the first on an RBI double from Clay. That was all Stefinsky needed as she cruised through the first 5 1/3 innings without allowing a hit.

The Bearkats finally broke up the no-hitter when second baseman Krystal Gay launched a one-out double down the left-field line. Freshman Alex Survant followed with a single to start a late rally. Wigington knocked in the Kats’ only run of the game on a long hit to left before the Cowgirls got out of the inning.

Sam Houston had one final chance to get back in the game when Everitt blasted a double off the center-field fence to start the bottom of the seventh, but the next three batters were retired in order.

“Our pitchers did a great job today, and we just couldn’t get the ball on the bat to help them out,” Everitt added. “We made some contact, so hopefully those hits will start to fall for us.”

        

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