Courtesy Hendrix College Athletics Department
CONWAY, Ark. – The Hendrix College softball team moved their winning streak to eight by sweeping Sewanee – University of the South at Warrior Field on Sunday afternoon. With the 14-0 and 12-2 five-inning wins, the Warriors move into first place in the Southern Athletic Association with a 7-1 record and they match last year’s win total with an overall record of 17-5. The Tigers fall to 5-9 overall and 0-8 in SAA play.
The winning streak ties the longest in program history set by the 2006 and 2009 Warrior squads.
The opener was a school-record fifth consecutive shutout for Hendrix. Senior pitcher Ashley Halbert, who threw a perfect game on 43 pitches on Saturday, allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out four to improve her record to 8-3 on the year. Tiger pitcher Sarah Anne Hamilton allowed 11 hits, 11 earned runs, three walks and struck out two in four innings.
The Warriors scored two in the first on two hits and an error. Halbert and senior Paula Burr each drove in runs in the inning. Senior center fielder Syndey Copeland led the second off by reaching on error, stole second and reached third on another error and was plated on a sacrifice fly by junior left fielder Tiffany Hubbard.
Hendrix exploded for 10 runs on eight hits in the third. Freshman catcher Jill Sikes drove in two with a base hit early in the inning, then knocked in three more with a bases-clearing double for five RBI in the frame.
Sophomore Amelia Grimes pinch hit in the fourth, singled and scored on error to give the Warriors the final run of the game.
Sikes went 2-for-2 with five driven in and a double. Burr had a double, two RBI and scored twice. Sophomore shortstop Michaela Larabee connected on two hits and scored twice and sophomore second baseman Katey Havens was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a RBI.
Sewanee scored their first runs of the weekend in the top of the first of the series finale. Center fielder Sarah Fleming led off with a walk and scored on a triple by shortstop Kayla Swell. First base man Sara Burklin knocked in Sewell with a base hit, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
The Warriors answered with three runs in the bottom of the first. They added eight more in the second, including a three-run home run by Burr and a two-run double by Copeland, and one more in the third.
Freshman Kayla Patton went 3-for-3 with two RBI and freshman first baseman Shelby Anderson had two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored. Burr scored twice to go with the three-run homer. Copeland was 2-for-2 with a double, a stolen base and two RBI. Larabee extended her hitting streak to 10 games with a base hit. Junior catcher DJ Sandidge had a hit, a RBI and two runs scored.
Patton (4-1) struck out four while allowing four hits, two runs and two walks. Hamilton took the loss again, giving up eight hits, 10 earned runs and three walks in two innings.
Hendrix will host Berry College for a four-game SAA series beginning with Friday’s double-header at 5 p.m.
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