Softball | 3/24/2015 3:32:00 PM
UTA Live Video |
StatsMcNeese Live Video | Stats (
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G3)
ABILENE - Softball's season-long, seven-game homestand continues this week when the Abilene Christian Wildcats play host to a rematch vs. Texas Arlington Wednesday night followed by a weekend Southland Conference series vs. first-place McNeese State.
The Wildcats and Mavs take to the diamond at Poly Wells Field at 6 p.m., while ACU and McNeese begin play Friday at 4 p.m. with a doubleheader. The finale of their three-game set is slated for Saturday at noon.
All four games will be web streamed via
ACUSports.com and accompanied by live statistics.
The Wildcats (5-21, 108 Southland) defeated UT Arlington last week on the road, 7-6, before being swept at home in a closely contested series against Central Arkansas by scores of 5-4, 6-4, and 7-6.
In their win over the Mavs on St. Patrick's Day, the Wildcats overcame a pair of early four-run deficits thanks to a four-run fourth plus four-consecutive shutout innings (3rd to 6th) from junior
Julia Montoya following a shaky start.
ACU received its go-ahead run on a two-run single by
Holly Neese in the fourth and added an all-important insurance run in the sixth when
Peyton Hedrick - who led off with a double - scored on
Alyson Bishoff's single to left.
The Wildcats entered the last of the seventh with a 7-5 lead but victory remained uncertain as the Mavs were able to cut their deficit to one on a two-out RBI single. But with the go-ahead run at the plate,
Emily Seidel came in from the bullpen to get the game's final batter to fly out to right field.
But later in the week against the Bears, the Wildcats were victimized by one big late inning in each of the three games.
UCA overcame a 2-0 deficit in game one with a four-run fifth, and in game two the Bears scored five times in the sixth to take a 6-2 lead. But the biggest gut punch of all came in game three, where UCA received a bases-clearing, pinch-hit triple with two outs in the seventh to win 7-6.
Montoya was saddled with two losses last weekend because of some untimely errors, but also held one of the conference's better-hitting teams to .250 while posting a 3.09 earned-run average.
Offensively, Hedrick continued to keep her name among the league leaders by going 5-for-11 (.455) with two runs, two doubles, a home run and five RBI. She currently ranks second with a .446 batting average, fourth with nine doubles, fifth with 37 hits, and sixth with slugging and on-base percentages of .687 and .483.
Taylor Brown and Neese also had good weekends at the Plate. Brown scored four runs on five hits, including a double, and Neese blasted two home runs.
UTA went on to win three of its next four after losing to the Wildcats, first beating Lamar, 4-2, and then taking two of three from Sun Belt rival Georgia Southern. The Mavs enter Wednesday's game hitting a respectable .341 led by everyday starters Haley Henson (.436) and Nina Villanueva (.420), but their team ERA is hovering above 5.00.
McNeese will be the second-straight first-place Southland team to play the Wildcats in as many weeks as the 23-10 Cowgirls are currently tied for the top spot with UCA and Lamar at 9-0.
Cowgirl pitching has been exceptional this spring with all their starters beginning the week with a sub-3.00 ERA led by Emily Vincent (1.19), Rachel Smith (2.04 ERA) and Jamie Allred (2.77). Allred has three saves to go along with six complete games, while Smith and Vincent have combined for 114 of the squad's 168 strikeouts.
The McNeese offense is hitting .288 - 70 points higher than its opposition - led by Lauren Langner's .406 batting average.
