Cool weather adjusts softball schedule vs. Southeastern Louisiana

Softball | 3/5/2015 3:59:00 PM

Live Stats (G1) | Game 2 | Game 3

ABILENE - Abilene Christian softball returns home to Poly Wells Field for the first time in close to a month this weekend to play host to its Southland Conference rivals from Southeastern Louisiana.

The Wildcats and Lions were to have played a doubleheader Friday and single game Saturday, but those plans were adjusted after a recent cold spell coated the field in ice, rain and snow. So to give the field more time to dry out, Friday's single game will now start at 6:30 p.m. while Saturday's twinbill will commence at 11 a.m.

Live stats will be made available for all three games.

ACU (3-13) grinded its way through another tough tournament last weekend at Jacksonville University as four of the five games the Wildcats played were decided by three runs or fewer. Campbell twice beat ACU by scores of 3-1 and 4-3, and in between the Wildcats lost a 9-1 decision to the host Dolphins and were outslugged by both Savannah State (L, 8-11) and Cleveland State (L, 11-14).

The Wildcats batted .308 as a team in Jacksonville led by freshman shortstop Peyton Hedrick, who hit above .500 for the second consecutive weekend to lift her season mark to .490 (second in the Southland Conference). Hedrick was responsible for 10 of the Wildcats' 41 hits - two of which went for extra bases - scored four runs and drove in two. She also stole two bases and was credited with a sacrifice hit.

Hedrick's 25 hits this spring ranks her third in the conference behind Stephen F. Austin's Brittany Lewis (29) and SLU's Katie Lacour (29).

Sophomore Taylor Brown also had an exceptional weekend at the plate, batting .368 with four runs, a double, triple, three stolen bases and two RBI, while Brianna Barnhill and Cara Hoover each hit a pair of home runs. Hoover led all Wildcats at the Dolphin Classic with six RBI.

In the circle, senior Emily Seidel pitched all five games last weekend and climbed to first in the conference with 73.2 innings pitched and second with 47 strikeouts (17 looking).

Southeastern Louisiana comes to Abilene with an overall record of 5-12. The Lions opened the year with a 4-3 record before losing nine straight between games played in San Antonio and their own backyard of Hammond, La. They finally snapped their skid earlier this week with a 9-1 (5 inning, run-rule decision) over Detroit.

SLU finished 19-29 last season and 10-17 within the league, but did not face the Wildcats during ACU's first year in the Southland Conference.