Cats Split with Cru; Johnston Sets Record

4/12/2018 10:30:00 PM

By: LC Sports Information - Brad Welborn

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

With just nine game left in the season the Louisiana College softball team began a stretch of games that will ultimately determine whether or not they will earn a spot in the postseason. The Wildcats were able to take one of two from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor on Thursday, winning a game one pitcher's duel 1-0, but dropping the second 7-2. The rubber game of the series is scheduled for 2pm Friday afternoon at Wildcat Park, weather permitting.

Game 1

With the aces for both teams starting in the circle for game one, each team knew that runs would likely be at a premium, and that turned out to be entirely true as only one run came across on five combined hits. Wildcat starter Savannah Settle gave up two hits in the first two innings of work, both doubles, but each time worked around the extra base hit leaving runners stranded in scoring position.

It was a 1-out double from Sami Walters in the bottom of the third that set the stage for the only run of the game for either team. After an error at third allowed Walters to advance to third, she was able to slide in safely around the tag at home on a ground ball off the bat of Mattie Stine. The lone run was all that Settle needed the rest of the way as she turned in one of her best pitching performances of the season.

The Cru had only two more base runners the rest of the game, one reaching on an error in the fourth and the other coming on a hit by pitch in the sixth. Settle would get the easy ground balls and routine fly balls and pop ups through the rest of the game that were easily handled by the Wildcats defense.

The outing was Settle's 13^th complete game of the season, her second shutout, and her 11^th victory. She threw 7.0 innings, gave up just two hits, and struck out a pair. The Wildcat offense struggled against Cru pitcher Hannah Halepaska, getting just three hits, a pair of double from Walters and Kaitlyn Moore, but made the most of their limited hits. Walters, Shelby Bergeron, and Haille Wilkins each swiped a bag in the game as well.

Game 2

After limited offense in the first game of the day, the bats finally woke up for the second game, with 20 total hits for the two teams, but some missed chances for the Wildcats in the 7-2 loss at the hands of the Cru.

UMHB got on the board in the top of the first on a 2-out single to the short that allowed the run to come in from third. They added another run in the second on a base hit to right that brought the runner around from second. The big blow came in the Cru's next trip to the plate with back-to-back extra base hits, the second a 3-run home run over the right field wall, making the score 5-0.

The Wildcats had chances in each of the first four innings of the game, earning hits each time to the plate, but left runners in scoring position each time. It wasn't until the bottom of the sixth, with LC now down 7-0, that there were able to get a key hit with a runner in scoring position. Mattie Stine ripped a double to center to start the inning then her pinch runner Hailee Wilkins moved to third on a grounder back to the pitcher. She then scored LC's first run of the game on a ground out to first. The Wildcats put together a late seventh inning rally thanks to an error and some speedy base runners, but only pushed across one run on a laser to third off the bat of Stine.

Shelby Bergeron went 3-for-4 at the plate with two stolen bases while Mattie Stine was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a double. Briley Johnston was 2-for-3 at the plat with three steals, giving her a total of 34 and making her the new LC softball single season record holder, breaking teammate Shelby Bergeron's record from a year ago.

The Wildcats and Cru will finish their three game series on Friday afternoon at 2pm at Wildcat Park, weather permitting. Stay connected to Louisiana College softball by following @LC_sftball on Twitter or liking Louisiana College softball on Facebook. For general athletics news follow @LC_Wildcats on Twitter or like Louisiana College Wildcats on Facebook.

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