Todd Ryals

Lady Wildcats Streak Ends in DH Loss

3/27/2017 10:25:00 PM

By: LC Sports Information

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The streak is over. The Louisiana College Lady Wildcats softball team had their 19-game winning streak snapped on Monday night in a pair of losses to Birmingham-Southern College. The Wildcats lost both games by two runs each, 5-3 in the first and 7-5 in the second. LC will return to American Southwest Conference play this weeekend with a three game series against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Game 1

Things started off well for the Wildcats in the first game of the day. After two quick outs in the bottom of the first, Mattie Stine and Taylor Hammock sparked the offense with back-to-back doubles, the second of which bringing Stine in from second to score the games first run. At that point, the Panthers starting pitcher could not find the strike zone, as she walked the next three batters in a row before BSC made a pitching change. All together the Wildcats drew four walks in the inning, including two bases loaded free passes and LC had a 3-0 lead at the end of the first inning.

The Panthers got a run back in the top of the second inning on a passed ball and throwing error. The score remained 3-1 in the Wildcats favor through the next two full innings, until the Panthers put together a 3-run rally of their own in the top of the fifth. A double to left center scored the first run of the inning, and then an error behind the plate allowed the next runner to score two batters later. A sacrifice fly to right was the final run of the inning and BSC had a 4-3 lead mid way through the fifth inning.

A solo home run in the top of the seventh gave BSC an insurance run heading into the bottom of the final inning. The Wildcats got the tying run on base with 1-out in the inning with back-to-back base hits from Sami Walters and Mattie Stine. After a strikeout and a walk, LC had the tying run in scoring position and the winning run on base. They could not come up with the big hit to tie tie the game as the game ended on a line drive to the shortstop.

The Wildcats committed four costly errors in the game and left nine runners on base in the game. Taylor Leger took the loss in a complete game effort, allowing five runs, only one of them earned, with five strikeouts in the game. Mattie Stine (3-4) was the only Wildcat with multiple hits in the game, including her double in the first inning.

Game 2

In the second game of the night, Birmingham-Southern got clutch hits time and time again in route to their 7-5 win. Starting in the first inning, a bases loaded, 2-out single to left scored the Panthers' first two runs of the game. In the bottom of the inning, the Wildcats were poised for a huge inning, loading the bases with no-outs. Taylor Hammock found a single to left to bring in Shelby Bergeron from third but Sami Walters was thrown out at the plate for the first out of the inning. The next two batters, could not get the key hits and grounded out to end the threat with just one run.

After a scoreless second, the Panthers once again got a key 2-out hit with runners in scoring position. A single to left with runners at second and third allowed two more runs to score and give BSC a 4-1 lead. LC got a run back in the bottom of the inning, when Sami Walters scampered home aftre a wild pitch. But once again the Wildcats left a runner in scoring position as back-to-back strikeouts with a runner at third ended the inning.

In the next three innings, the Panthers added three more runs on three, 2-out base hits, as they scored all seven of their runs with 2-outs in the inning. LC did make things interesting in at the end of the game, scoring two runs with 2-outs of their own in the bottom of the sixth on a Bergeron base hit to center, and a Walters hit to left. After a steal of second and a walk to load the bases, the Wildcats once again had the tying run in scoring position but could not get the clutch hit they needed as a fly ball to right ended the inning.

The Wildcats got two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but a tapper back to the pitcher ended the game and gave LC their second loss of the day. Darian Thacker suffered her first loss of the season, going 3.0 innings, allowing four runs, three of them earned, on six hits with one strikeout. Chelsea Lewis pitched 4.0 innings allowed three runs on seven hits with a strikeout.

The top two batters in the Wildcats lineup, Shelby Bergeron and Sami Walters both went 3-for-4 in the game with an RBI each and three runs scored between them. Unfortunately, the 3-4-5 hitters went a combined 2-for-9 in the game.

The Wildcats return to ASC action this weekend with a three game series against Mary Hardin-Baylor. The series is scheduled for a doubleheader Friday beginning at 4 p.m. and a single game Saturday starting at 12 p.m. Stay connected to Louisiana College softball all season at www.lcwildcats.net, following @LC_sftball on Twitter, and liking LC Athletics on Facebook.

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