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Softball Plays Host to UAB in Huge C-USA Series
4/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 21, 2011
TULSA, Okla. - The Conference USA Championship is on the line as the Tulsa softball team is back home for its final Conference USA home series against league-leading UAB Friday and Saturday at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex.
Please note the game time changes for Friday: The doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m., while the single game on Saturday is still scheduled for a noon first pitch. Friday's doubleheader was moved up two hours because of impending weather in the forecast.
The Golden Hurricane in second place in the C-USA standings at 35-11 overall and 14-4 in league play, sits one game behind the Blazers (32-13, 12-3 C-USA). TU has six C-USA games remaining in the final three weeks of the season, while UAB has nine games to play.
Tulsa is celebrating Senior Day Saturday with its final home C-USA game, and will honor seniors Kelly Chapman, Jordan Kinard and Lauren Menke in a postgame ceremony following Saturday's game.
Live video via Hurricane Vision and live stats via Gametracker for all three games will be available at www.TulsaHurricane.com.
Tulsa is hitting .278 (332-for-1194) with 173 RBI, 198 runs, 56 doubles, six triples and 23 home runs, and has a .393 slugging percentage and a .348 on-base percentage with 123 walks. The Hurricane has a 1.79 team ERA with 365 strikeouts, 139 walks, 199 hits, 95 runs and 79 earned runs allowed, and has a .181 opponent batting average.
UAB hits .257 (298-for-1159) with 143 RBI, 166 runs, 45 doubles, five triples and 15 home runs, and has a .343 slugging percentage and a .349 on-base percentage with 140 walks. The Blazers have a 1.53 team ERA with 331 strikeouts, 73 walks, 234 hits, 102 runs, and 68 earned runs allowed and a .201 opponent batting average.
Tulsa is led in hitting by sophomore center fielder Caitlin Everett who is hitting .372 (54-for-145) with 25 runs, 16 RBI, a .421 slugging percentage and a .442 OBP. Sophomore shortstop Samantha Cobb hits .345 (49-for-142) with 32 RBI, 25 runs, 11 doubles, three homers, 14 walks, a .486 slugging percentage and a .400 OBP. The first baseman Chapman is hitting .330 (33-for-100) with 18 RBI, 22 runs, eight doubles, four homers, a .530 slugging percentage and a .419 on-base percentage.
In the circle, freshman Aimee Creger is 17-2 with a 0.99 ERA in 134.0 innings, and has allowed 57 hits, 24 runs and 19 earned runs, with 188 strikeouts and 55 walks. Kinard is 8-5 with a 2.38 ERA and has allowed 74 hits, 35 runs and 32 earned runs, with 109 strikeouts and 37 walks in 94.0 innings. Sophomore Lacey Middlebrooks is 10-4 with a 2.41 ERA in 81.1 innings, and has allowed 68 hits, 36 runs and 28 earned runs, with 68 strikeouts and 47 walks.
Tulsa and UAB have played 19 times; TU leads the series, 12-7. Tulsa took two of three games last season in Birmingham, and swept the season series in Tulsa two years ago, including a win in the C-USA Tournament in El Paso. The Golden Hurricane is 11-3 vs. UAB since 2006 and 5-0 vs. the Blazers in Tulsa during that time.
For all Tulsa softball news and information, visit www.TulsaHurricane.com. Follow Tulsa Athletics on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TulsaHurricane and Facebook at www.facebook.com/TulsaHurricane.
