The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Softball Begins Play In 2003 Samford Fall Tournament
10/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Oct. 17, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The UAB softball team will continue play in its 2003 fall schedule this weekend as the Blazers compete in the Samford Fall Tournament held Oct. 18-19, at the Pelham Sports Complex. UAB will play a total of five games against a compilation of nine teams from the surrounding area.
?We've had two excellent weeks of practice since our last competition and we're looking forward to getting back on the field,? said UAB head coach Marla Townsend. ?The players always like to play against some different competition and it's good to see how they adjust to game-type situations.?
UAB heads into Saturday's competition with a perfect 3-0 record this fall.
On Oct. 4, the Blazers cruised to victories over Jefferson State, 1-0, North Alabama, 7-1, and South Alabama, 11-0, in the 2003 UAB Fall Tournament. In the eight-game competition, UAB used outstanding pitching performances from Tara Higashino, Erica Mascarenas and Brittany Hodge to win the tournament title. Higashino highlighted the competition by hurling a no-hitter against Jefferson State in the opener.
?We've been working a lot in practice on both our offense and defense and I think that we have definitely improved in both aspects,? Townsend said. ?The major improvement that we have made as a team has been our hitting. We are hitting the ball a lot better right now and we are playing more consistent than we were a couple of weeks ago.?
The field for the 2003 Samford Fall Tournament is comprised of the following nine teams: Alabama Southern, Birmingham-Southern, Chattanooga State, Jacksonville State, North Alabama, Samford, Shelton State, Southern Union and UAB.
On Saturday, UAB is scheduled to play Shelton State at 10 a.m., Samford at 2 p.m. and North Alabama at 4 p.m. The Blazers' Sunday schedule consists of an 11 a.m. matchup against Jacksonville State followed by a 1 p.m. game against Southern Union.
The UAB softball team begins play in the 2003 Samford Fall Tournament against the Shelton State Buccaneers at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Pelham Sports Complex in Shelby County. The Blazers' opening game of the weekend will be played on Field #3, while UAB's remaining four matchups are scheduled to take place on Field #1.
