The ETSU softball team picked up their first win in program history, defeating Stephen F. Austin, 3-2, on Saturday afternoon at Houston, Texas, in the second game of the tournament held at the University of Houston.
Stephen F. Austin grabbed the early lead as Jamie Brown scored on an error in the top of the first.
The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth when ETSU (1-4) scored two runs when Andrea Roberts scored on an error and Jessica Hodge singled in another.
Stephen F. Austin tied the game as Ashley Moffett scored on an error in the top of the sixth.
The Bucs took the lead for good as Tiffany Vandergriff singled in Amber Ledbetter from second in the bottom of the eight.
Vandergriff picked up the win, pitching eight innings and giving up one earned run on seven hits.
Vandergriff and Hodge recorded RBIs in the victory.
However, in the first two games of the season, the Bucs lost against Sam Houston State, marking their debut games as loses.
Sam Houston beat the Bucs 10-3 in the first game and 5-4 in the second game.
However, the second game did go into extra innngs.
“I was impressed with our effort,” Head Coach Stephanie DeFeo said. “We played hard and had a chance to win the second game. This is a good foundation to build our season around.”
Sam Houston (5-3) scored two in the first, five in the second and three in the sixth to spoil ETSU’s first game.
Vandergriff hurled a complete game for the visitors, allowing 10 runs on 11 hits.
Vandergriff also batted leadoff, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Trailing 2-0 in the top of the second, freshman Judith St. Clair blasted a home run to record the first run in ETSU softball history. The right fielder collected two hits in her collegiate debut.
The Sam Houston Bearkats answered with five in the bottom of the innng to take a 7-1 lead.
In the fifth, Vandergriff led off the inning with a double and later scored on an RBI single by freshman Julia Chance.
The Bucs scored their final run in the sixth when Junior April Arnold scored on a single by junior Jessica Hodge
Sam Houston State’s Aydrion Guajardo went 4.1 innings to earn the win.
Sceond baseman Kim Harquis led the Bearkat offense by going 2-for-4 at the plate with four RBI and two runs scored.
In only its second game, ETSU took its host to extra innings but eventually lost, 5-4, in the ninth.
Arnold suffered the loss despite a quality outing – 8.2 innings, five runs (three earned) on nine hits.
Chance sparked the Bucs offense with two hits, three RBI and one run scored.
She slammed her first career home run – a two-run shot – in the third inning.
After a scoreless first, ETSU earned its first lead in program history when freshman Danielle Richardson doubled home Junior Andrea Roberts.
Sam Houston State tied the game in the home half of the inning before ETSU took a 3-1 lead on Chance’s homer.
The Bearkats scored on in the third and took a 4-3 lead in the fourth on a two-run double by Ashley Hylton.
The Bucs fought back to knot the game, 4-4, in the fifth when Chance collected her third RBI with a double that plated sophomore Shawnda Cole.
After three and a half scoreless innings, Sam Houston State swept the doubleheader with a run in the bottom of the ninth.
With a runner placed on second to start the inning, and a sacrifice bunt, the Bearkats had a runner at third with one out.
Arnold got the next batter to pop up to the second before an error allowed the game-winning run to score.
The Bucs would have one more losing contest before they win their first game in the second round with the University of Houston Cougars.
The Cougars slugged six hits and posted eight runs to retire ETSU, 8-0, in just five innings in the first game with the Cougars of the UH Invitational Softball Tournament.
The Cougars scored apair of runs in the bottom of the first for Freshman starting pitcher Ali McDougall and then exploded for six runs int he botom of the third to increas the lead.
McDougall, who recorded her second career win, allowed just three hits, no walks, and six strikeouts working just five innings.
Offensively, Houston was paced by freshman catcher Arelis Ferris who finished the day with two hits to go along with one RBI.

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