SEATTLE, Wash. – The Stephen F. Austin Softball team (9-27, 2-6) dropped the first two games of a three-game series against the host Seattle University Redhawks (13-19, 5-3) as Seattle won the first game 4-1, and the second game 10-0.
Game 1: Seattle U 4, SFA 1
The opening game of the doubleheader saw a tightly contested battle over the first five innings as both Alexis Telford of SFA and Stefanie Madrigal of Seattle proved to be tough on opposing hitters today. Seattle would strike first in the bottom of the first to take an early 1-0 lead, however, that would be all the scoring for both sides until the bottom of the sixth. The Redhawks would tack on three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-0 lead heading into the seventh. The Lumberjacks would not go down easy, however, as Emily Land and Chloe Reneau would hit back-to-back singles with one out in the top of the seventh to put a pair of runners on for Lexi Benson. Benson would continue to provide some clutch hitting for SFA as she would send a ball to center field to score Madison Nguyen and cut the Seattle lead to 4-1. However, the Redhawks would close out the win in the top of the seventh and hang on for a 4-1 series opening win.
Eight different Lumberjacks recorded a hit today as they were able to string together another solid day at the plate that saw them record nine hits as a team. Chloe Reneau (2-3) led the offensive department for SFA today as she recorded her second multi-hit effort in her last three games. Joining Reneau in the hitting column in game one were Emily Land (1-1), Kelby Robbins (1-3), Ellie Vance (1-3), Mallory Webb (1-2), Brittany Coe (1-4), Mikaelah Burkland (1-3, 2B), and Lexi Benson (1-3, BB, RBI). Burkland recorded her second double of the season, while Benson drove in her 11th RBI of the year. Meanwhile, Benson and Alex Dubose (0-0, BB) both worked walks in game one of the doubleheader. Robbins extended her hitting streak to five games, while Vance, Webb, and Benson have all recorded a hit in five of their last six games.
Alexis Telford drew the start in the circle for SFA and pitched 5.2 innings, while Kayla Palomino struck out the lone batter she faced. Alex Dubose continues to be a force to be reckoned with defensively as she added a team-high eight putouts to her season total, while Elllie Vance and Brittany Coe formed a nice tandem with the two combining for six putouts and five assists defensively.
Game 2: Seattle 10, SFA 0
The second game of the doubleheader pitted Brooke Gainous in the circle for SFA, while Avari Morris drew the start for Seattle. The Redhawks struck first in the bottom of the first to take an early 2-0 lead. Seattle would find their groove in the third inning as they would score eight runs in the bottom of the third to take a 10-0 lead over SFA, which they would not relinquish in an eventual 10-0 win in game two of the doubleheader.
Ellie Vance (1-2) recorded a hit for SFA to record her sixth game in her last seven with at least one hit. Joining Vance in the hitting department in game two was Alexis Telford (1-1), while Lexi Benson (0-1, BB) and Kelby Robbins (0-0, HBP) both reached base via walk in game two. Benson recorded her second straight game with a walk, while recording her 14th walk total this season. Alex Dubose continued to remain efficient and effective on defense as she led the team with seven putouts and recorded 15 putouts between the two games today, while Chloe Reneau led the team in assists with two.
The Lumberjacks will be back in action tomorrow, March 30th at Logan Field for the series finale of the three-game series against the Redhawks with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CST. You can watch all the action on ESPN+, as well as follow along on the SFA Softball social media accounts for all the updates or by following along with live stats provided on the SFA Athletics website.
By: Peter Trainor, Student Assistant for Strategic Communications