Todd Ryals

Lady Wildcats Complete Fifth Straight Sweep

3/18/2017 3:34:00 PM

By: LC Sports Information

Box Score

For the fifth Saturday in a row, the Louisiana College Lady Wildcats softball team completed a three game series sweep. This time the Wildcats took down Belhaven University 7-2, their 20th win of the season, the fastest Wildcat team to reach that mark since 2010, in just 22 games. The victory also ensures Head Coach Lyn Bankston's first winning season as the Wildcats skipper. LC travels to LeTourneau University next week, jumping back into American Southwest Conference play, before returning to Wildcat Park for five total game the week of March 27 - April 1.

After two relatively low scoring affairs in Friday's doubleheader, it did not take long for Belhaven to get to Wildcats starter Darian Thacker. In the top of the first inning, a single and a double from the first two batters of the game put runners at second and third with no out. A sacrifice fly to left scored the Blazers first run and advanced the trail runner to third on the throw to the plate. A base hit by the next batter put Belhaven up 2-0, and a rocket back up the middle by the fifth batter of the inning chased Thacker, as the move to the bullpen was made for Savannah Settle. After pitching a complete game on Friday in a tight 3-1 Wildcat win, she was able to come in a shut down the rally in the first and the Blazers the rest of the way.

Belhaven had four hits off Thacker in the first inning, and just two the rest of the game against Settle and Chelsea Lewis who pitched the final two innings of the game, neither of which allowed another run to score. Falling behind 2-0 early off four Blazer hits, the Wildcats had to work their way from behind, a spot they have not been in often this season, but they were able to do that thanks to some help from Blazers starter Taylor Surrento.

In the bottom of the first, LC scored a run to cut the lead in half, without the benefit of a single hit. Shelby Bergeron drew a lead off walk, then stole second base, the first of her four steals in the game. After a swipe of third base from Bergeron later in the inning, she was able slide in under the tag of the pitcher at home after a pitch skipped away from the catcher, making the score 2-1 in Belhaven's favor after the first.

The Wildcats continued to apply pressure on the base path's through the rest of the game, which led to them taking the lead in the bottom of the second inning. Pinch runner Alyssa Ross got in on the action with a swipe of second, after the Sydney Falcon base hit to open the inning. She then stole third, as Kourtney Herrera drew a walk, putting runners at the corners with 1-out. Kaitlyn Moore, another pinch runner, stole second during Bergeron's at-bat that ended with a bunt single on an attempted squeeze play.

With the bases loaded and still just 1-out, Sami Walters lifted a 1-0 pitch over the outstretched glove of the center fielder that went all the way to the wall, clearing the bases on the 3-run triple for the freshman from North DeSoto, giving LC a 4-2 lead. Mattie Stine brought Walters in on a ground ball to short, to put the Wildcats ahead 5-2 after two innings of play.

An exciting first two innings, gave way to a pitcher control game between Settle and the Blazers' Jordan Herring, neither team recording a hit through the next two full innings. The Wildcats did add two more insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth, on another RBI groundout by Stine, and scoring on a bases loaded error by the third baseman later in the inning.

Savannah Settle got her 10th victory of the season, and second of the series, going 4.2 innings of shutout work, allowing two hits with five strikeouts. Chelsea Lewis pitched the final two innings of the game, not allowing a hit or a run. The top two of the Wildcats lineup did the most damage for LC in the game as Shelby Bergeron and Sami Walters combined to go 4-for-7 with two runs scored each, three runs batted in, and five stolen bases. The Wildcats swiped a total of nine bags in the game.

The Wildcats won their 20th game of the season and extend their winning streak to 16 games in a row, matching the second longest streak since the 2009 season. LC travels to Longview, Texas next weekend for a three game ASC series against LeTourneau, as they try and hold on to the top spot in the conference standings. Stay connected to Louisiana College softball all season long at www.lcwildcats.net, following @LC_sftball on Twitter, and liking LC Athletics on Facebook.

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