Softball Hosts Quinnipiac, CCSU as NEC Playoff Hunt Heats Up
4/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 27, 2007
Setting the Scene... The Pioneer softball team hosts Quinnipiac and Central Connecticut in two critical NEC doubleheaders as the playoff race heats up this weekend. Saturday SHU and QU will play at 2:00 pm with Sunday's first pitch against CCSU at 12:00 pm. Both doubleheaders will be broadcast on the Pioneer Radio Network. SHU enters the weekend 5-5 on the year in league play and is just behind Quinnipiac for the final spot. The Pioneers are tied with Robert Morris for fifth starting play.
Pioneers Go Outside League... Sophomore Betsy Harvey had the game winning double, and junior Megan Spehar tossed a complete game three hitter to lead Sacred Heart to a 3-1 win over Iona in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday at Pioneer Park. Iona salvaged a spilt of the twin-bill with a 3-0 win in the nightcap.
Last Year vs Quinnipiac... Quinnipiac pitchers Kristin Sheriff and Jessica Skaare combined to allow just one run as the Quinnipiac University Softball team swept Sacred Heart, 1-0 and 3-1, in a Northeast Conference doubleheader, last year in Hamden, CT.
Scouting The Bobcats... Quinnpiac enters the weekend holding down the final spot in the NEC playoffs with a record of 8-6 in the league. Krista Seeman is the leader of the Bobcats team on both sides of the ball. She is the team's leading hitter, with a .390 average and 28 RBI and eight homeruns. In the circle, she has a 7-6 record with a 2.05 ERA and has struck out 84 batters in 82 innings.
Last Year vs Central Connecticut... Ashley McDonough went 5-8 with eight RBI and four runs scored in two games, and was the winning pitcher in the second game, as Sacred Heart swept a doubleheader from Central Connecticut last season. The Pioneers took both games from the Blue Devils 11-2 and 7-2.
Scouting the Blue Devils... Central Connecticut starts the weekend with a 5-7 record in NEC play, in sixth place in the standings. The Blue Devils have a strong, balanced offensive attack, led by Alison Rossi who is hitting a team best .312 with a team high 21 RBI and seven home runs for the seaosn. Karen Costes is second on the squad with a .297 average and 17 runs batted in. In the circle, Rachel Rosserman is the Blue Devils ace, picking up eight of CCSU's 11 wins this year while posting a 3.04 ERA.
Spehar in the Circle.. The Pioneers ace is picther is junior Megan Spehar. The righthander, who is also a good offensive player, is 9-8 on the season in 18 starts, pitching 110 innings. She is averaging more than one strikeout per inning. Last year she posted a team leading six wins from the circle last year, posting a 3.56 ERA. She threw 93.2 innings, the most of any Pioneer hurler, allowing just 37 hits while striking-out a team leading 87 batters while walking just 35. At the plate, Spehar has scored 14 runs, most on the team.
Super Sophs... In addition to their seniors, the Pioneer line-up will be anchored by a pair of sophomores who made an immediate impact in their rookie seasons, Amanda Bradley and Betsy Harvey . The Pioneer second baseman, Harvey is the team's leading hitter, with a .299 mark and a second best 14 RBI. Bradley has 12 RBI on the season, third on the team.
Up Next... The Pioneers host Siena in their final home game of the year Thursday at Pioneer Park. The doubleheader starts at 3:30 pm.
