The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Softball Team Faces Chattanooga To Complete Home Schedule
5/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 3, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB softball team will play host to the Chattanooga Lady Mocs on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in a non-conference doubleheader as the Blazers complete their 2005 home schedule at George Ward Park.
The Blazers (21-35) enter the final week of the regular season still in contention for a spot in the Conference USA Tournament later this month in Tampa, Fla. UAB is currently 7-14 in C-USA play and is fighting with both Houston and Southern Miss for the sixth and final berth in the tournament.
The top six teams in the final standings qualify for the tournament and DePaul, Louisville, East Carolina, and USF have already earned their place. Houston (9-12) is two games in front of the Blazers and Southern Miss (8-13) sits one game ahead of the Blazers after winning two of three games from UAB this past weekend in Birmingham. UAB meets Houston in a three-game series on the road this weekend in a crucial series for both teams. Southern Miss plays host to East Carolina in their final series of the regular season.
Chattanooga (41-16) enters Wednesday's action 13-3 in Southern Conference play after defeating East Tennessee State, 7-1, on April 24 in its last game. The Lady Mocs feature seven hitters in their lineup batting .270 or better and have hit 26 home runs this season. Chattanooga owns a team ERA of 2.01, led by Lacey Swartthout's 26-8 record and 1.65 ERA.
UAB and Chattanooga have met three times in history, with the Blazers holding a 2-1 edge in the all-time series. The Blazers won by a score of 4-3 in the first game between the two during the 2001 season and then the teams split a doubleheader last season in Chattanooga, Tenn., as the Lady Mocs posted a 10-0 win followed up by a 7-1 UAB victory.
The Blazers, who are coming off of a thrilling 12-11 comeback win over conference-rival Southern Miss on Sunday, are led offensively by sophomore right fielder Lindsay Stanley. She was 9-14 during the weekend versus Southern Miss with three runs scored, three stolen bases, and Sunday's game-winning RBI.
Stanley also tied a C-USA record with four hits in a league contest on Sunday. She is currently in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 13 of her last 14 games. She is the league-leader in stolen bases this season with 28 on 32 attempts while batting a team-best .322.
Seniors first baseman Kris Lara and senior center fielder Sara Christophel are tied for the team-lead in home runs with three while Christophel is tops on the team with 24 RBI. Junior left fielder Chelsea McCall is batting .299 and has 52 hits. Freshman left-hander Jennifer Nelson leads the Blazer pitching staff with a 9-7 record and is second on the squad with a 2.92 ERA. She has thrown eight complete games, one shutout, and one perfect game this season.
The Blazers will head to Houston on Friday for their final conference series of the regular season, which begins Saturday at 1 p.m. The teams will play a doubleheader that day and then a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Five seniors (Sara and Carrie Christophel, Lara, Erica Mascarenas, and Dusti Roberts) will play at George Ward Park for the final time in their career on Wednesday. All five were honored in a pre-game ceremony on Sunday prior to the 12-11 win over Southern Miss.
