Blue Hen Softball Opens Colonial Athletic Association Play This Weekend At George Mason
March 25, 2011
File Photo Courtesy of Rachel Jones (by Mark Campbell)
• Live Stats
FAIRFAX, Va. -- The University of Delaware softball team opens its Colonial Athletic Association schedule this weekend when the Blue Hens head south to face George Mason. The Blue Hens and Patriots will play a three-game weekend series including a 12 noon doubleheader on Saturday and a noon single game on Sunday.
Delaware enters the weekend with a 7-17 overall record, and the Blue Hens will be looking to snap a six-game losing streak. UD dropped all five games last weekend at the Radford Invitational before falling at Delaware State, 8-1, on Tuesday.
George Mason is currently 9-11 on the season and the Patriots have lost four consecutive games, all by shutout.
The Blue Hens are led by freshman second baseman Michelle McKinnon, whose team-high .333 batting average currently ranks sixth in the conference. Bertie Lake is second on the Blue Hens with a .317 average, while Amanda Stacevicz is hitting .304 with a team-high 21 hits on the year.
Lara Andrews, who has started all 24 games in centerfield this season, is hitting .284 while Gina Knutson ranks second in the conference with six home runs, fourth with 15 runs scored, and tied for fourth with 16 RBI.
The Patriots have struggled offensively this season, batting just .220 as a team. Tori Dudley leads Mason with a .268 batting average, while Rachael Davies is hitting .267 with team-highs of 16 hits and 12 runs batted in.
However Mason appears to have an advantage in the circle, as the Patriots have compiled a 2.80 earned run average while the Blue Hens’ ERA stands at 5.59. Miranda Cranford is 2-4 with a 1.94 earned run average for Mason, while Stephanie Maher is 4-1 with a 2.03 ERA.
The Patriots lead the all-time series with Delaware, 34-30-1, and have taken the season series during each of the last four years. In 2010 the two squads closed out the regular season in Newark, with Mason completing a three-game sweep.
Following this weekend’s action, the Blue Hens will open their home schedule on Tuesday by hosting Villanova in a doubleheader beginning at 2:30 p.m. Delaware will then face the in-state rival Hornets in another 2:30 p.m. twinbill on Wednesday at the Delaware Softball Stadium.
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