SOFTBALL: Six errors costly in Lamar’s home loss to LaTech
Published 9:29 pm Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Lamar sports information
BEAUMONT – Paige Holmes hit a solo home run and Savana Guidry extended her hitting streak to 10 games, but the Lamar Cardinals couldn’t overcome six errors as they dropped a 3-2 decision to the visiting Louisiana Tech Techsters in a non-conference game at the LU Softball Complex on Wednesday night.
“That’s so uncharacteristic of us,” LU associate head coach Allison Honkofsky said of the six errors which tied an LU single-game record. “We weren’t sharp and we kept repeating the same mistakes. This one is a tough loss to swallow.”
The Cardinals (7-7) got on the board first when Shannon Klaus singled home pinch runner Tristin Anders in the bottom of the second. Louisiana Tech (9-8) evened the game at 1 in the fourth when Morgan Turkoly was credited with a steal of home when LU threw to second trying to get Katie Smith. Smith managed to get back to first safely as Turkoly scored.
Holmes put the Cardinals back on top in the fifth inning with her second homer of the season, a towering shot that bounced off the top of the fence in left-center before falling behind the wall.
The Lady Techsters added single runs in the sixth and seventh innings, both on throwing errors on stolen bases.
“We know we’re better than that,” Honkofsky said of the team’s fielding woes on Wednesday. “We have played good defense all season. We’re going to learn from this. This will be the last time we lose a game like this.
The Cardinals had made just 12 errors over their first 13 games before tying the school record of six miscues set against Jackson State in the 2016 season.
Laura Napoli (3-4), the third LU pitcher used, took the loss, allowing one hit and two runs, both unearned, in two innings. Napoli walked two.
LU starter Taylor Gruell went the first three innings, allowing two hits and one earned run. Amie Cisneros pitched two scoreless innings of relief for LU.
Preslee Gallaway (4-3) picked up the win in relief for Louisiana Tech. Gallaway, who came into the game in the top of the fifth only to see her second pitch blasted by Holmes, retired the next nine LU batters in order.
The Cardinals won’t have much time to dwell on the loss. The team leaves Thursday for Starkville, Mississippi, for five games at the Bulldog Jamboree, hosted by Mississippi State, that gets underway Friday.
LU’s next home game is 4 p.m. Wednesday against Penn State.
About I.C. Murrell
I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
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