Delaware Softball Heads North For Crucial Weekend Conference Series With Rival Drexel
April 29, 2011
Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell
• Live Stats
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. –The University of Delaware softball team will attempt to extend its season-long winning streak this weekend when the Blue Hens take on rival Drexel in a crucial three-game Colonial Athletic Association series.
The Blue Hens and Dragons will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday at the Drexel Softball Field, with action on both days beginning at 12 noon.
Delaware, which is coming off a sweep of UNC Wilmington last weekend and a 6-2 triumph over Penn on Wednesday, has won four consecutive games for the first time this season. The Blue Hens, who are 18-29 overall, are currently in third place in the CAA standings with a 7-8 league mark. However Towson (6-7) and James Madison (6-8) are just behind Delaware, while Drexel sits in sixth place with a 5-10 conference record. The Tigers and Dukes also play three games this weekend, while Delaware will host Towson and Drexel visits James Madison during the final series next Friday and Saturday.
The Blue Hens have used strong pitching to post their four consecutive victories, allowing just seven total runs during this stretch. Junior Amanda Stacevicz and freshman Kathleen Conway have each earned two wins during the winning streak, while Anne Marie Pagano has recorded a pair of saves. Stacevicz is now 10-8 with a 3.04 ERA on the season to pace the UD pitching staff, while Pagano and Conway have each recorded four wins this season.
Current CAA Co-Player of the Week Jenny Richards has been leading the Blue Hens offensively of late, posting a six-game hitting streak while recording a double in each of the last five contests. Richards, who leads the league with 13 doubles and ranks second with 30 runs scored, has gone 9 for 17 during her hitting streak, a .529 average. Freshman Michelle McKinnon, the current CAA Rookie of the Week, continues to lead the Blue Hens with a .325 average, seventh highest in the league. Sophomore Lara Andrews, who has started every game in center field this season, ranks second on the team with a .293 batting average.
Drexel, which carries a 13-24 overall record into this weekend’s action, began conference play 1-8 before sweeping UNC Wilmington and winning one of three at George Mason last weekend. Paige Collings leads the Dragons with a .324 batting average, 35 hits, six doubles, eight home runs and 26 RBI, while Rachel Campbell is hitting .310 with 22 runs scored, 35 hits, and 19 runs batted in.
Hillary Allen, who ranks third on Drexel with a .306 batting average, also paces the Dragons in the circle with a 9-10 record and a 2.95 earned run average. Shyann Beach is 0-4 with a 3.95 ERA while Shelby Taylor is 4-10 with a 4.95 ERA for Drexel, which is winless during eight home games this season.
The Blue Hens and Dragons have faced each other every season since 1983, with the Drexel leading the all-time series 36-31-1. Last year Delaware took the first game, 7-4, before the Dragons posted a pair of one-run victories to take the series.
This weekend’s games are the final road contests of the Blue Hens’ regular season. Delaware will close out its home slate with a doubleheader on Wednesday against Saint Peter’s before a three-game series against Towson next Friday and Saturday.
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