Feb.19, 2009- Pine Bluff, AR- It's softball time again and despite starting the season on an 0-6 skid the Lady Lions (1-7) manage to split a double header with the Lady Tigers (9-5) of Ouachita Baptist today at Regional Park.
In the first game the Lady Lions started off strong as both teams were scoreless after three innings. UAPB drew first blood as Lacy Kerr reached first base on a single. Pinch runner Ashley Racy would later score from second on a Kiana Pollard single giving the Lady Lions a 1-0 lead after four innings.
The Lady Lions would hold on to that lead for another inning and a half as the Lady Tigers answered back with some offensive fire power of their own. Jana Deen reached first base on a single to start the sixth inning. Deen would get thrown out on fielder's choice which subsequently allowed Monica Davis to reach first base, which gave way to a two-run homerun by Kristen Rigsbee giving the Lady Tiger's a 2-1 advantage. Later Austin Taylor would single and eventually cross home plate off a Sarah Bell single which would produce the final score of 3-1 for the first contest.
In the second game the Lady Lions jumped out to a 1-0 lead off with a Valerie Higareda single that scored Markia Herron from second who also singled and stole second base. The Lady Tigers answered back in the top of the second inning with an Alexis Johns RBI that would score Sarah Bell who reached base after being hit by a pitch. The Lady Lions would later score two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning giving them a 3-1 lead as they added another run in the fifth to push the margin to 4-1.
The Lady Tigers battled back with two more runs in the top of the sixth to close the gap to 4-3. But the Lady Lions came out for the bottom half of the inning with their bats blazing as they crossed home plate seven times breaking open what was a close contest thru six and a half innings of play. 11-3 would eventually become the games final tally as the run rule was enforced.
“This was a huge win for our ball club,” said first year head coach Tim Munn. “We hope this win will set a positive tone for our team for the remainder of the season.”
Next up for the Lady Lions is a Monday afternoon double header against Arkansas Tech in Russellville, AR. The first pitch is slated for 1 pm with the second game to follow at 3:30 pm.
