The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Plays Five Games Over Next Three Days
4/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 21, 2009
Kennesaw State - Game 1 | Kennesaw State - Game 2
Samford
Troy - Game 1 | Troy - Game 2
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB softball team (15-29, 6-15 C-USA) will play five non-conference games on the road against three different opponents over the next three days.
First up for the Blazers on Wednesday will be a doubleheader against Kennesaw State in Kennesaw, Ga. at Bailey Park at 3 p.m. CT. On Thursday, UAB will return to Birmingham and take on Samford in a single-game contest at Bulldog Field starting at 6 p.m. CT. The Green and Gold will hit the road again on Friday as they travel to Troy, Ala. to take on the Trojans in a doubleheader set to start at 4 p.m. CT.
The Blazers are 3-1 all-time against Kennesaw State. Last season, UAB split a doubleheader in Birmingham, falling 5-2 in the first game before bouncing back by the same score in the nightcap.
Against Samford, the Blazers hold a 17-4 advantage in the all-time series. UAB has won the past seven meetings, including a 4-3 victory as the 2008 Magic City Classic.
The Green and Gold trails Troy in the all-time meetings, 5-9. The Trojans were able to pick up two wins against the Blazers in Birmingham last season. The last UAB victory was a 3-1 win during the 2007 season at Troy.
SCOUTING KENNESAW STATE
Kennesaw State is 19-25 overall this season and 5-11 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The last time out, the Owls split a doubleheader with Lipscomb on Saturday. Both games went to the eighth inning before the contests were decided. KSU was able to win the first game, 3-1, but Lipscomb won second game on a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth, 10-7.
As a squad, the Owls are batting .236. Lyndsay McCurry leads Kennesaw State with a .309 batting average and is 10-for-12 on stolen bases. KSU's team ERA is 3.00 and April Harper (9-7) leads the team with a 2.53 ERA.
SCOUTING SAMFORD
Samford sits at 15-24 on the season and 8-13 in the Southern Conference. Over the past weekend, the Bulldogs were able to pick up two wins against Western Carolina. On Sunday, the Bulldogs were able to outlast the Catamounts and score in the bottom of the seventh to win, 6-5.
Kristy Lawrence leads the Bulldogs at the plate. Lawrence has started all 39 games for Samford and has posted a .333 batting average with 22 RBI. As a team, the Bulldogs are batting .261. Pitcher Stephanie Royal is 8-8 in the circle with a team-best 2.84 ERA. The Bulldog's team ERA sits at 3.83.
SCOUTING TROY
Troy has a record of 32-17 overall and 13-8 in the SunBelt Conference. Over the weekend, the Trojans were swept by Louisiana-Lafayette. After losing 9-1 in the first game, Troy was able to take the Ragin' Cajuns into extra innings but fell in nine innings, 4-3.
Tasha Elmore leads Troy with a .342 batting average, eight home runs, 32 RBI and a .637 slugging percentage. The Trojans are hitting .277 as a team. The Trojans pitching is led by Ashlyn Williams. Williams is 22-11 on the year with 285 strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA. The Trojans' combined ERA is 4.38.
LAST TIME OUT
The last time out, UAB was able to pick up a series win over Marshall with a 6-4 victory on Sunday. Senior Kayla Harris picked up her first win of the year in the final home game of her UAB career. Harris went all seven innings, allowing seven hits and striking out four batters. Offensively, every batter for UAB recorded a hit on the day with Laura Callaway and Maegan Hornsby each recording two hits apiece. Mandy Lowman recorded her fifth home run of the year in the win.
