Todd Ryals

Lady Wildcats Win Series at Ozarks

2/17/2017 10:28:00 PM

By: LC Sports Information

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Louisiana College Lady Wildcats softball team won both games of their first American Southwest Conference road series of the season on Friday night, defeating the University of the Ozarks by scores of 3-2 and a run rule shortened 11-1 game two. The Lady Wildcats improve to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play with the series win, they will go for the sweep over Ozarks Saturday with a single game beginning at 11 a.m.

Game 1

The first game of Friday's double-header began as a pitchers dual between the Wildcats ace Savannah Settle and Ozarks' Hannah Oler. Through the first three innings of play both pitchers combined to allow only three hits total, two by the Eagles and one from the Wildcats. It wasn't until the top of the fourth when the Wildcats second hit of the game landed on the other other side of the left field fence off the bat of Shea Smith, the first home run of the freshman's season and career, putting the Wildcats up 1-0. LC got runners to second and third later in the inning with only 1-out but back-to-back ground outs kept the game at 1-0 in favor of the Wildcats.

Settle cruised through the next two innings keeping the Eagles at bay and setting things up for the Wildcats to add two more runs in the top of the sixth inning. With 2-outs in the inning and runners at second and third once again, Kourtney Herrera hit a high fly ball to deep center that kicked off the glove of the center fielder allowing both runners to score, giving the Wildcats a much needed cushion at 3-0 going into the bottom of the sixth.

Those two runs were crucial for the Wildcats because in the bottom of the inning a 2-out, 2-run home run to center brought the Eagles to within a run on one swing of the bat. Settle got the next batter on a foul out to right, sending the game to the seventh with LC up by one run 3-2. The Wildcats went down in order in the top of the inning, and Settle struck out two of the three batters in the inning to pick up her second win of the season.

Shea Smith had the big hit of the game for the Wildcats with her home run in the fourth inning, getting the only RBI of the game for LC. Jordan Mason went 2-for-3 from the dish with a double in the second. Savannah Settle got her second victory of the season by going the complete 7.0 innings allowing two runs on five hits. Settle tied a career high with 13 strikeouts in the game, a mark she set her freshman season in a complete game win against Sul Ross State in 2015.

Game 2

The Wildcats got off to a quick start in the second game of the day, taking advantage of two Eagles errors in the top of the first inning that allowed the first two batters to reach base. After a steal of second put two runners in scoring position with no-out, Mattie Stine sent one through the right side for two quick RBIs and a 2-0 LC lead. Stine advanced to second on another Eagle error and was driven in by clean up batter Shea Smith with a double to left field, giving LC a 3-0 after the first inning.

Ozarks answered with their only run of the game in the bottom of the inning thanks to a 2-out single through the left side. After a scoreless second inning, the top of the Wildcats order went back to work in the third. Sami Walters started the inning with an infield single followed by a base hit to right from Stine, putting runners at first and second with no-out. The Wildcats doubled their score with one swing of Shea Smith's bat, as she deposited another ball over the left field fence giving LC the 6-1 lead after three innings of play.

The Wildcats added two more runs in the next inning on a 2-out single by Mattie Stine through the right side, giving LC an 8-1 lead mid way through the game. LC loaded the bases in the top of the sixth with the first three batters of the inning reaching base safely. Morgan Dennis was able to score thanks to another Ozarks error, and after a double play ball hit back to the pitcher, Shea Smith gave LC the 10-run advantage with an RBI single up the middle, bringing in two more runs.

Darian Thacker had her second straight impressive performance, going 6.0 innings, giving up just one run on three hits and striking out six in the game, getting her second win in as many starts for the junior from Jena. Shea Smith and Mattie Stine were near unstoppable in game two combining to go 6-for-8 from the plate with 10 RBI. Shelby Bergeron and Sami Walters each scored three runs in the game out of the top two spots in the lineup.

The Wildcats will go for their first conference sweep of the season on Saturday with an 11 a.m. first pitch in Arkansas. They will play another conference road series next Saturday in Brownwood, Texas against Howard Payne University before returning home for a series against Sul Ross State University to start the month of March. Stay connected to Louisiana College Lady Wildcats softball by following @LC_sftball on Twitter or by liking LC Athletics on Facebook.

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