MOBILE, Ala. ? The South Alabama softball team will host defending Sun Belt Conference champion and 15th-ranked Louisiana-Lafayette in a key three-game SBC series this weekend at Jaguar Field. The series will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday and will conclude with a single game on Sunday. Games are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. both days. Both clubs come into the series tied for third place in the league.
Tickets for Jaguar games can be bought at the gate or can be purchased by calling the USA Ticket Office at (251) 460-6047. Ticket prices are $5.00 for General Admission, $3.00 for children ages 6-17 and $3.00 for senior citizens 62 and over. Admission is free for students, faculty and staff with valid ID, as well as children under six years old. Live stats for all three games of the ULL series can be accessed at www.usajaguars.com.
The Jags enter play this weekend with a 27-15 overall record and a 7-5 mark in conference play. In its last outing, USA dropped a 3-0 decision to Auburn on Tuesday night at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, Ala. Tiger starting pitcher Anna Thompson pitched a gem, striking out 12 Jag batters, while allowing just one hit.
Sophomore designated player Tara Donaldson leads Jag hitters with a .402 batting average, 51 hits, 11 doubles, 38 RBIs and 76 total bases. Junior Evelyne Pare (.344) has a team-high 34 runs, three triples and 23 stolen bases, while sophomore Corey Race (.316) leads the team with eight home runs.
Senior Linden Jones tops the Jaguar pitching staff with a 17-8 record and 1.68 earned run average, tossing six shutouts and 16 complete-games. She has recorded 188 strikeouts in 151.0 innings pitched, allowing opponents only a .180 batting average against her.
Other Jag pitchers, junior Amanda Leggett (4-3) and freshman Beth Pilgrim (6-4) each pitched a complete-game shutout against Alcorn State last Tuesday.
USA continues to make an impression in the Sun Belt with its first-year program ranking in the top three in team batting, pitching and fielding. Entering this week, the Jaguars are second in team batting with a .303 average, only behind Troy with a .306 average. In team pitching, the Jags are ranked third with a 2.40 ERA, while placing first in team fielding with a .967 average.
Donaldson (first), Pare (fourth), and Katie McGuire (9th) occupy three of the top 10 spots in the individual batting category, while Linden Jones placed second in individual pitching, behind FAU’s Jen Musillo. South Alabama has one player in the top five in hits, runs scored, RBIs, doubles, triples, total bases, stolen bases and strikeouts.
The Ragin’ Cajuns enter the series versus the Jags with a four-game losing streak. Last week, ULL dropped a 10 inning 6-5 loss to McNeese State and then were swept this past weekend by Florida International in Miami. The sweep by the Golden Panthers marked the first time the Cajuns had ever been swept in their eight years in the Sun Belt.
ULL is led offensively by junior designated player Holly Tankersley. Tankersley paces the club in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.372), slugging percentage (.650), on base percentage (.473), runs scored (36), hits (51), RBIs (42) and home runs (11).
Another offensive weapon for the Cajuns is Melissa Verde, who enters the weekend leading both the league and team in doubles with 13. She also has three triples on the season.
The ULL pitching staff is led by Brittany Cuevas, who is one of the top pitchers in the conference. The true freshman comes into the series with a 21-7 record and leads the Sun Belt in strikeouts with 192 in 191.2 innings of work. The Cajun staff as a whole as been very impressive throughout the season as no pitcher has an ERA above 2.50.
