Softball Takes on NEC Powers As Playoff Race Heats Up
4/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 17, 2008
Setting the Scene... The Pioneer softball squad hits the road this weekend for a a pair of crucial doubleheaders as the hunt for the NEC playoffs heats up. SHU will face defending champion and preseason favorite Long Island on Saturday in Brooklyn. Sunday the Pioneers travel to Staten Island to face traditional NEC powerhouse Wagner. SHU starts the weekend with a 7-3 record in NEC play, good for third place in the standings with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
SHU Falls to Fairfield... Freshman Sarah Minice threw a four-hit, complete game shutout, striking out ten batters to lead Fairfield to a 2-0 victory over Sacred Heart in softball action Wednesday at Pioneer Park. Minice outduled the Pioneers combination of Megan Spehar and Jen Russell.
Scouting the Blackbirds... The defending champion and preseason favorite Long Island Blackbirds are in first place with an 11-1 league record. The Blackbirds boast the top two pitchers in the NEC in Blair Porter and Jenny Giles. Porter leads the league in strikeouts, with 133 in just 114 innings. Her 1.11 ERA is the best in the league. Meanwhile, Giles sports a 1.68 ERA, second best in the league. Celina Castillo leads the Balckbird attack with a .352 batting average and 17 RBI. Jessie DiPippo has a team best 21 RBI to go a long with a .327 batting average.
Last Meeting vs LIU... Vanessa Mejia went 5-for-7 with five RBI and two runs scored and Long Island pitchers combined to allow just one run over 12 innings and struck out 17 SHU hitters to lead the Blackbirds to a doubleheader sweep of Sacred Heart, 8-0 and 8-1last year at Pioneer Park.
Scouting the Seahawks... The Seahawks of Wagner feature the top offense in the NEC, starting the weekend with a .319 batting average. Andrea Lazzari leads the entourage with a .420 average and a league leading 37 RBI. Katie Stevens is fourth in the NEC with a .404 average while Victoria Batistelli is second in the league with 34 RBI. The Seahawks have struggled in the pitching department with Kate Eshelemen sporting a team best 3.58 ERA while Heather Ochoca has a team best six wins.
Last Meeting vs Wagner... Senior Morgan Miller and freshman Kate Eshelman combined to throw 14 shutout innings, allowing just seven base-runners while striking out 15 to lead Wagner to a doubleheader sweep of Sacred Heart, 2-0 and 5-0 in last year at Pioneer Park.
Rookies Key... Freshmen Taylor Froelich and Courtney Lee have made immediate impacts in their first month as Pioneers. Froelich has stepped in and become the centerfielder and lead-off hitter for the Pioneers. Froelich leads team in hits (33), runs scored (14) and RBI (16) Meanwhile Lee has been the best hitter, batting .333 with 11 RBI and 13 runs scored. Lee was named the NEC Player of the Week for March 10.
New Face on the Mound... Thirteen new faces appear on the Pioneers roster this spring. The group is made up of 11 freshmen. Among the highly-touted recruits is new pitcher Jen Russell. A Seymour, CT native Russell has gotten off to a good start at SHU, winning her last seven starts. Russell has won NEC pitcher of the week honors for the last three straight weeks. This week she also earned rookie of the week honors after tossiung a pair of complete game gems, including a 3-2, 10-inning win over Yale, in which she did not allow an earned run. Russell struck out three and surrendered just one earned run in the Pioneers' 7-1 win over Fairleigh Dickinson. She finished the week 2-0, with a 0.41 ERA and nine strikeouts in 17.0 innings of work. In her last 34.0 innings, Russell, who is now 5-0 in league play, has posted a 1.06 ERA, allowing just four earned runs.
Up Next... The Pioneers will visit Siena on Tuesday and host Seton Hall on Thursday in a pair of non-league doubleheaders next week.
