PHOENIX, Ariz.- Stephen F. Austin defeated Utah Tech tonight 2-0. The Jacks improved to 30-23 while Utah Tech fell to 35-18.
With their WAC championship dreams on the line, the Jacks handed the ball over to Brooke Gainous, the ace of their staff and the most reliable pitcher all year for SFA. She did not disappoint one bit, and I’ll get to her in a second. The Jacks gave Gainous all the run support she would need in the first, as Mackenzie Bennett would hit an RBI groundout that scored Mallory Webb and was followed by an RBI single by Lexi Benson that scored Gaby Garcia. That would be the final runs of a game dominated by pitching. Now back to Gainous, as she would have to be great after Kate Dolinski shut the Lumberjacks out in the following five innings. And great she was, as she would get out of trouble in the second, fifth, and sixth, stranding two in each frame, to keep the Jacks in the lead. She was simply incredible, and willed SFA to the win. Her final line: 7 IP, 4 hits, 2 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 6 strikeouts. The Jacks would prevail 2-0 and advance to the next round of the tournament.
At this point of the season, it takes performances like Brooke’s to win the close games. The Jacks face off against Seattle University tonight at 10 p.m.