Lady Eagles Face Top Two Teams in SEC West
4/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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Lady Eagles Face Top Two Teams in SEC West
The Southern Miss softball team hosts No. 15 Alabama (37-13 overall, 17-4 in SEC) in a single game on Wednesday, April 17, at 5 p.m. The Lady Eagles travel to Baton Rouge, La., to face No. 5 LSU (33-8, 17-3) in a doubleheader, on Thursday, April 18, starting at 5:30 p.m.
The doubleheader at LSU will have a ?live stats? broadcast featured on SouthernMiss.com.
The Tigers are ranked first in the Southeastern Conference?s West Division, and the Crimson Tide is second in the standings. These three games will increase the Lady Eagles? total to 11 contests against SEC teams this year, and they currently hold a 3-5 record against the SEC.
Southern Miss (25-22, 14-4 in C-USA) faced Alabama last week, in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and battled a 0-0 tie, before the Tide scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to win, 2-0. Overall, the Lady Eagles are 1-1 against Alabama, winning the first matchup, 3-0, in the Women?s College World Series, in 2000.
Jackie McClain and Ashley Courtney are both hitting .400 in average. McClain leads the squad at .402, with a team-best seven home runs and 29 RBIs. Courtney is stroking right at .400 and claims two homers and 29 RBIs. Five Alabama hitters feature averages over .300, and as a team, the Tide is batting .303.
All-American Shelley Laird is 21-7 on the year, with a 1.34 ERA and 238 strikeouts. The junior recently pass 1,000 career strikeouts, and she had tossed eight shutouts this season, including 2-0 win over the Lady Eagles last week.
LSU holds a 4-3 series advantage over Southern Miss. The Tigers won the last matchup, 5-0, in 2001.
Trena Peel is the Tigers? leading hitter at .381 with three home runs and 27 RBIs. The senior also claims 10 triples and 14 stolen bases. Former Lady Eagle Erin Johnson is batting .295 with one home run and 10 RBIs.
Tiger pitcher Britni Sneed is 18-5 on the year with an impressive 0.95 ERA and 261 strikeouts. She has thrown 13 shutouts this season and three in her last four outings.
Channika Gant has been hitting well for the Lady Eagles recently. In the last five games, Gant is batting .471 (8-for-17) and was named Conference USA co-hitter of the week after batting .538 (7-for-13) last week. The senior now leads the team with a .294 average.
Jessica Holaway is 12-7 on the year, with a 1.86 ERA and 104 strikeouts. The sophomore won her last two outings, going 15 innings and giving up two earned runs.
Felicia Gonzales performed well in her last two mound appearances. The senior held Alabama scoreless for five innings, before giving up two runs in the sixth, and shut out East Carolina last Saturday, giving up three hits and no walks.
Southern Miss is off this weekend. The Lady Eagles host LSU next week in a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 24, at 5 p.m.