Highlights

Campus News

Wildcat Weekly Minute for Nov. 17, 2011

A look at what's happening on campus this week.

Faith

Cleansed through the Cross

Dr. Quarles speaks on the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice at weekly chapel

Sports

LC hoops teams wrap up homestand with pair of wins

Off to Ozarks, UT-Dallas next

Organizations

LC media student give to Toys for Tots

More than 100 toys will help local charity

Campus Life

February is Heart Health Awareness Month

Stay healthy and 'God Red'

Culture

All the Shakespeare you could laugh at… and more!

tlc's adaptation of 'Shakespeare Abridged' pulls out all the stops

Special Coverage

LC brings another successful ‘Follow the Star’

'Christmas on the Hill' and 'Gala' add to festive weekend

Champions again! Lady Wildcats win ASC Tournament

by Will Tubbs

LC takes two from Tyler to complete improbable comeback

The LC softball team has won the American Southwest Conference Tournament after all odds appeared against them.

After LC fell to Mary Hardin-Baylor Friday morning, the Lady Cats clawed back with five-straight tournament wins, including back-to-back championship round wins over Texas-Tyler, 8-3 and 10-0, to bring home the title. Check back later this evening as we'll have a full report on today's action.


Saturday AM: Lady Cats shut out MHB; Need to beat Tyler twice

LEWISVILLE, Texas – The Louisiana College softball team has defeated Mary Hardin-Baylor 3-0 to advance to the ASC Championship game where the Lady Wildcats will need to twice defeat Texas-Tyler to earn the conference crown. The first Texas-Tyler game was scheduled to start at 2 p.m. In Lewisville, Texas. The sevond game, if necessary would take place 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. More information to come on all of Day Three of the ASC Conference Tournament.

Friday Night:

LEWISVILLE, Texas – The day started with a shocking loss but ended with the Louisiana College Lady Wildcats still alive in the hunt for an American Southwest Conference Tournament Championship.

After falling 2-1 to Mary Hardin-Baylor in a game that ended on a triple-play by the Cru, LC rebounded to defeat Concordia 4-0 and East Texas Baptist 7-2 to twice stave off elimination and set up a rematch with UMHB Saturday at 11 a.m. with a berth in the championship game on the line.

Early Friday afternoon, it seemed like a spot in the championship game might be, at best, a remote possibility after LC loaded the bases with no one out in the seventh inning of its game against UMHB before hitting into a triple play, but the never-say-die Lady Wildcats rallied for back-to-back wins.

“It just goes to show how positive this team is,” LC senior outfielder Jodi Montagnino said. “We faced a lot of adversity losing on a crazy, triple play that no one here had ever seen, but we came back and won two games.”

As impressive to LC coach Tim Whitman was that his Lady Wildcats were able to overcome a 2-0 deficit early in their game against ETBU, their third game of the day.

“Emotionally, (the UMHB loss) was draining,” Whitman said. “Don’t get me wrong, we struggled in that first game, but it looked like we were going to rally at the end before we hit into a freaky play. We were able to regroup and get a win over Concordia and, when we got to ETBU, I think both of us were fatigued and emotionally spent. Then, we fell behind 2-0 in the first inning. That’s what really tested our will.”

The last time LC had faced ETBU, it fell to the Lady Tigers 8-0 in the regular-season finale. Friday, it was the Lady Wildcats’ turn to post a convincing win after scoring seven unanswered to close the game.

“We were a totally different team this time,” Montagnino said. “We wanted to get back at them a little bit after the last time. We had some motivation in this game.”

Junior Kelly Williams, who took the tough luck loss in the Mary-Hardin Baylor game, got the win against ETBU.

“I really wanted to get a win today,” Williams said. “That first game left a sour taste in my mouth.”

The Lady Wildcats will have a chance to permanently purge their pallets of any bad tastes if they can win three games in one day on Saturday, one against Mary Hardin-Baylor and back-to-back against rival Texas-Tyler, the requirement if they are to win the ASC crown.

“We all believe that we can do it,” Williams said. “We just need to hit as a team, make plays on defense and pitch like we know we can.”

“Heck yeah we can do it,” Montagnino said. “We have the heart and the ability. We know Mary Hardin-Baylor and Texas-Tyler and they know us, we’ve all played each other four or five times this year. It’s just a matter of which team shows up ready to play. We’ve got to get past Mary Hardin-Baylor first, though. We have to take it one game at a time.”

Friday PM: Lady Cats win; Advance to Saturday

LEWISVILLE, Texas - The Louisiana College softball team has defeated East Texas Baptist 7-2 to avoid elimination and advance to the final day of the ASC Tournament in Lewisville, Texas. The Lady Wildcats' next game will be at 11 a.m. Saturday against Mary Hardin-Baylor with the winner to face Texas-Tyler in the finals. LC will look to avenge their 2-1 loss to MHB in Friday's first game.

Friday Afternoon: Wildcats win elimination game

LEWISVILLE, Texas - The Louisiana College softball team defeated Concordia 4-0 to avoid elimination from the ASC Tournament. The Lady Wildcats will next face ETBU in an elimination game at 5 p.m. on the Blue Field in Lewisville, Texas.

Friday AM: Wildcats lose heartbreaker

LEWISVILLE, Texas - The Lady Wildcats fell 2-1 to Mary Hardin-Baylor Friday morning, their first loss of the double-elimination ASC Tournament. LC had the bases loaded with no one out in the seventh but hit into a triple play to end the game. The Lady Cats face an elimination game against Concordia at 2 p.m. on the Blue field in Lewisville, Texas.

Thursday PM: Wildcats win in 11 innings

LEWISVILLE, Texas – The Louisiana College softball team, which had lost three of its last four regular season contests, started the postseason with a dramatic bang, defeating Hardin-Simmons 3-2 in 11 innings in the opening round of the American Southwest Conference Tournament.

“The kids fought hard tonight,” LC coach Tim Whitman said of his team’s three-hour-plus contest. “We didn’t have a lot of great at-bats, especially early on, but that’s a credit to Hardin-Simmons. They came out and really executed throughout their defense. But our kids kept battling and eventually we had some players come through.”

And come through Louisiana College did in the clutch. Twice the Lady Wildcats (36-5) were down to their last strike and twice they delivered.

First, in the seventh inning with two outs, two strikes, pinch hitter Amber Martin (Prairieville, La./St. Amant High) aboard and down 2-1, senior shortstop Mary Alice Roy (Baton Rouge, La./Central Private) connected on a triple that scored Martin from first to tie the game.

“I knew it was all or nothing when I stepped in there,” Roy said. “I was as nervous as I don’t know what, but I just took a breath and remembered what we talked about this week in practice. This is what the game is all about, these types of moment. Luckily, I got a good hit and we were able to score a run.”

The co-play of the game came later when, with the game still tied at 2-2, pinch runner Bailey Woodward (Benton, La./Benton High) on first, two outs and two strikes, sophomore third baseman Devan Greene (Kaplan, La./Kaplan High) connected on a double that allowed Woodward to score.
It wasn’t easy, though, as Woodward, a freshman, had to jar the ball loose from the Cowgirls catcher at home to score the winning run.

“I got behind on two strikes,” Greene recalled. “I was expecting something to hit, but preparing to battle off anything close. The pitch she threw me was one I was looking for and I sat back and tried to drive it. It got down and Bailey was able to get from first to third. She made a great play at home getting into home for the win.”

Almost lost in the drama was the play of junior pitcher Rene’s Schwartzenburg (Marksville, La./Marksville High) who pitched an incredible, 11-inning complete game and struck out 15.

“Rene’ pitched her guts out tonight,” Whitman said. “She really helped us out.”

The Lady Wildcats, the No. 2 seed from the ASC East, will next take on ASC West No. 1 seed Mary Hardin-Baylor at 11 a.m. Friday morning.

Should LC win that game, the next contest would be at 5 p.m. Should LC fall to UMHB, an elimination game would follow at 2 p.m.

“We’re just glad we were able to get the first win,” Roy said. “Any time you do that it motivates the whole team. And it puts us in a good spot going forward this weekend.”

This entry has been viewed 362 times.