Orono, Maine -- After missing out on game action due to weather last weekend, the University of Maine softball team returns to the diamond on Saturday when they open America East league play at Hartford.
Maine and Hartford will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 8 at noon before closing the three-game series on Sunday with a single game, also at noon.
A LOOK AT MAINE:
The Black Bears (5-17, 0-0 America East) look good last time out as they swept a doubleheader at Sacred Heart back on March 25, winning by scores of 3-2 and 4-0.
Rachel Carlson leads the way offensively for Maine with a .328 mark at the dish with a team-leading six stolen bases. The junior outfielder leads Maine with 22 hits while her average places her 14th among America East leaders. Carlson, who has started all 22 games, has scored nine runs while driving in six and is Maine's leader with six multi-hit games. Senior catcher
Rachel Harvey is hitting .281 with seven runs and six RBI.
Erika Leonard, who reached base in 10-straight games during Maine's spring trip, has recorded six multi-RBI games and checks in at .277. Leonard is tied with Harvey for second on the team with 18 hits and is Maine's leader in RBI (14) and runs (11).
Meghan Royle, currently riding a three-game hit streak, is batting .254 with three triples.
Alyssa Derrick packs the power punch for Maine as she is tied for second in the league with six home runs. Derrick has driven in 12 and scored eight runs.
Erin Bogdanovich and
Molly Flowers have each tallied a pair of wins in the circle. Bogdanovich leads the team with 28 strikeouts over 46.0 innings.
Annie Kennedy, who is 1-3 on the year, has picked up a pair of saves while striking out 20 in 44.1 innings of work. Kennedy has fanned 12 batters looking, tied for third highest in the league.
A LOOK AT HARTFORD:
The Hawks enter the weekend on a four-game losing skid and feature an overall mark of 3-26. Hartford began America East play at 0-2 after being swept in a doubleheader by UMass Lowell by scores of 6-0 and 3-1. Hartford is just 1-20 in its last 21 contests, with the lone win coming in a doubleheader split at Saint Peter's. Meghan Wynn paces the offense for the Hawks, checking in at .267 while Kristen DeCiantis is batting .265 with six runs. Lexi Wilkerson is the team-leader in hits (20) and home runs (3) to go along with 12 RBI and a .256 mark. Elizabeth Newkirk is batting .207 and leads the Hawks in RBI (13) while adding five doubles. Offensively as a team, Hartford is hitting just .194, last in the America East.
Hartford has struggled defensively as it features the league's highest ERA (6.76). Melissa Pereira, Bianca Ross and Lexi Wilkerson have each tallied a single win in the circle. Pereira features the lowest ERA on the squad at 6.04 and has fanned 21 in 46.1 innings. Ross, who has worked a team-leading 63.1 innings, also has struck out 21.
A LOOK AT THE SERIES:
Maine has won eight-straight against the Hawks and enter 8-2 in the last 10 meetings. Over the 10 game stretch, Maine has outscored Hartford 78-27, averaging 7.8 runs per game. Maine has won three of the last four by 8-run rule, including 11-3 and 11-2 victories in the last two meetings. Maine has won five-straight road games in the series.
Harvey has dominated the Hawks in recent play. In last year's three-game series, Harvey hit .615 against Hartford, scoring four runs while driving in seven. Along the way, Harvey tallied two home runs and a double.
Alyssa Derrick had big success in her first series with Hartford, notching a pair of hits in each of the three games to rack up a .545 average with two runs, four RBI and a home run.
Bogdanovich, Flowers and Kennedy each tallied wins a year ago at Hartford. Kennedy went 4.0 innings while giving up three runs and striking out three to earn her victory. Flowers tossed a two-hit shutout with three strikeouts in her start and also added 3.0 innings of one-hit, six strikeout relief. Bogdanovich went 5.0 innings while surrendering just one hit and fanning nine in her win.
BLACK BEAR NOTES:
- Harvey, Carlson, Royle and Kristen Niland each enter the weekend riding three-game streaks of reaching base safely.
- Royle has the current highest hit streak at three games.
- Leonard's six-game hit streak earlier in the season was a Maine season-high. During that stretch, Leonard put together a 10-game streak of reaching base safely; Maine's longest such streak of the year.
- Despite being a lefty, Carlson enters action hitting .417 against left-handed pitching.
- Leonard leads the team with a .417 mark with runners in scoring position. Royle (.333), Harvey (.320) and Carlson (.316) are each hitting above .300 in the category.
- Leonard (.333) and Derrick (.278) have each provided solid production when hitting with two outs. Derrick (8) and Leonard (6) have totaled 14 two-out RBIs.
-UMaine-
