SFA Picks Up Win No. 20 Over Islanders :: Monika Covington was just two outs shy of a complete game no-hitter.

March 16, 2008

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Monika Covington nearly pitched her first career no-hitter for the Ladyjacks, which was more than enough to push SFA past Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 7-0 on Sunday to already surpass its win total from last year with No. 20 on the year.

Covington went 6.1 innings of no-hit ball while only allowing one runner to reach base via walk. The Islanders (13-13, 5-7) finally got their first hits on back-to-back singles in the seventh, but the freshman then got a Kim Connelly to lineout into a double-play to notch the `Jacks (20-12, 7-2) 20th win of the year.

Power was once again the theme for the offense as SFA cranked another pair of bombs to get out to an early 4-0 lead through three innings. After the Ladyjacks picked up a pair of runs in the first inning, Jessica Tullos led off the bottom of the third with her fifth home run of the year over the left-field fence, and only two batters later Ashley Struchtmeyer launched her team-leading seventh homer of the season into a jet stream that carried the ball over the right-field wall.

That was all Covington would need as she sat down the first fourteen Islanders she faced in picking up her 11th win of the year. She finished with six strikeouts and the performance dropped her ERA to 1.37 for the season.

Things looked like they might end early as SFA plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth and put the Islanders in danger of being run-ruled for the second time in three games, but Briana Bishop popped up to shortstop with a runner on second to end SFA's hopes of a quicker-than-usual game.

Five Ladyjacks finished with two hits apiece, including Moriah Davis who also added a pair of runs scored and a pair of RBI.

SFA continues SLC play when it heads to Arlington this weekend to take on the Lady Mavs. Friday's slate contains a double-header while the Saturday matinee starts at 1:00 p.m.

-SFA