University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Lady Eagle Softball Takes To Road, Visits USF
3/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Files associated with this release:
Series Notes
Links associated with this release:
Live Stats
Lady Eagle Softball Takes To Road, Visits USF
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss Lady Eagle softball team resumes Conference USA play this weekend with a three-game series against nationally ranked USF in Tampa, Fla.
The Lady Eagles (14-14, 3-0 in C-USA) meet the 31-7 Bulls, ranked No. 21 in the USA Today/NFCA Poll and No. 22 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll, in a pair of games Saturday and a single game on Sunday. Saturday's doubleheader starts at Noon CT, while Sunday's contest is set for a Noon CT start as well. All three games will feature a live broadcast through the USF Official Athletics Site, www.gousfbulls.com or by visiting http://isis.fastmail.usf.edu/usfsid/softball/xlive.htm.
Southern Miss enters the weekend series on a three-game win streak that includes a pair of extra-inning, international tiebreaker wins over Louisiana Tech on Thursday. The Lady Eagles improved to 14-14 on the season, marking the first time since opening day that the team has hit the .500 mark.
Junior leftfielder Diane Hammes tops all players in batting with a .338 average and is tied with sophomore first baseman Ashley Davis for the team lead in hits (27). Davis is second with a .325 average and leads with 16 RBIs, ahead of Hammes' mark of 15. Sophomore third baseman Ashley Brenan follows with 26 hits, 10 doubles and 13 RBIs. Senior outfielder Heather Bell and sophomore second baseman Charity Butler are third and fourth with .315 and .300 averages, respectively.
In the circle, senior Jessica Holaway (5-4) has a team-best five wins and 46 strikeouts, while ranking second with a 3.86 ERA. Senior Danielle Hatfield is tops with a 3.58 ERA, while also sporting a 4-3 record and 30 strikeouts. Sophomore Danielle Wymer has a 3-4 mark, while freshman Jessica Saunier holds a 2-3 record.
The Bulls (1-2 in C-USA) enter the series on a five-game win streak including a pair of doubleheader sweeps over Radford and Wagner. USF opened league play last weekend, dropping 2-of-3 games on the road against Louisville.
Kattrina Dowd leads the Bulls with a .463 batting average and is second in hits with 44. Holly Groves tops all players with 52 hits, 10 home runs and 52 RBIs, to go along with a .448 batting average. Carmela Liwig, Samantha Ray and Shelly Riker follow with 38, 35 and 33 hits, respectively. In the circle, Leigh Ann Ellis is tops with a 0.93 ERA and a 20-4 record. She has pitched 135.2 innings and has 114 strikeouts to 39 walks. Danielle Urbanik is 8-2 overall with a 2.32 ERA and 40 strikeouts.
Following the league series, the Lady Eagles come back home for a single midweek game against Mississippi State, scheduled for Wednesday, March 24.
