No. 1 Softball Travels to Birmingham to Face UAB
3/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 9, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 1 ranked Alabama softball team will conclude its two-game series against instate rival UAB on Tuesday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m. at George Ward Park. The contest will be the first of five for the Crimson Tide on the week.
Last Time Out
Alabama hosted arguably the toughest field in the country in a four-team tournament by welcoming No. 1 Washington, No. 11 Georgia and No. 24 Baylor. The Crimson Tide finished 3-1 on the week, earning key victories against the Huskies and the Lady Bears. UA opened the weekend with a 6-0 win in the first battle of the number ones. UW answered with a 6-0 win of their own before Alabama swept two games from Baylor by the scores of 4-0 and 10-1. Kelsi Dunne earned two wins on the weekend while Whitney Larsen smacked two home runs, including a grand slam.
Who to Watch
Alabama sophomore hurler Kelsi Dunne held some of the top bats in the nation at bay all weekend long. Dunne earned two key wins by the way of shutout, including an eight strikeout, two hit performance against No. 1 Washington. Dunne came back the next day and fanned 11 Lady Bears to earn the win. For her efforts the Port Orange, Fla. native was named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week. On the season the right hander is a perfect 8-0 with a 0.38 ERA. Opponents are batting a meager .148 and have struck out 80 times in 56 innings.
Scouting the Competition
UAB: Alabama travels to Birmingham to take on 8-10 UAB who recently opened up Conference USA play by taking two of three this weekend against Southern Mississippi. UAB and Southern Mississippi split Saturday's contests with the Blazers winning the first game 7-2 and the Golden Eagles earning the 5-0 shutout in the second game. UAB rebounded and won Sunday's weekend finale 1-0. As a team the Blazers are batting .290 and are holding the opposition to a similar .287 batting average. UAB's pitchers have combined for a 4.65 ERA while running up a 4.85 ERA against opponents. The Blazers are led at the plate by Martina Landrum, Catherine Douglass and Mandy Lowman. Landrum leads the team in batting average (.389), runs scored (14) and hits (21). Douglass is batting .383 and has a team-high 14 RBI off 18 hits. Lowman leads the team with four home runs. In the circle UAB is led by Lindsay Croft. Croft has started 12 games for the Blazers with a record of 4-7. Over 72 innings pitched she has struck out 55 and kept hitters in check by giving up a .266 batting average. UAB returns nine letterwinners to a team that went 24-35 in 2008.
Series History
Alabama will be playing UAB for the second time in a week as the Crimson Tide handed the Blazers an 8-1 loss on March 4 in Tuscaloosa. Jennifer Fenton hit her first career home run in the win and fellow newcomer Jazlyn Lunceford collected two hits. Amanda Locke was credited with the win while Kelsi Dunne came in for the save. UA holds a 6-0 all-time record against UAB. Alabama last won in Birmingham on March 6, 2008 by the score of 10-1. In that contest Lauren Parker batted 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBI while Charlotte Morgan and Ashley Holcombe all went deep. Kelsi Dunne earned the win by pitching three innings of hitless relief.
Dunne Named SEC Pitcher of the Week
Alabama sophomore softball pitcher Kelsi Dunne (Port Orange, Fla.) was named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the week as announced by the conference office today. The honor is the third for the second year hurler. Dunne was 2-0 with two complete game shutouts on the week. The right-hander did not allow a run and struck out 23 while only walking two in 18 1/3 innings. Dunne also tallied her first save of the season to start the week against UAB. The 6-0 hurler took the ball in the highly anticipated contest against No. 1 Washington and did not disappoint as she went the distance, striking out eight and only allowing two hits en route to the 6-0 complete game shutout. Against No. 24 Baylor Dunne again went the distance, striking out 11 in her second straight complete game shutout of the Easton Challenge. Dunne struck out four and allowed one hit in 2 1/3 innings of relief to record her first save of the season in a win against UAB.
Easton Challenge All-Tournament Team
Three members of the Crimson Tide were named to the Easton Challenge All-Tournament Team. Kelsi Dunne earned the nod after going 2-0 with wins over No. 1 Washington and No. 24 Baylor. Brittany Rogers paced Alabama at the plate with a .429 batting average and five stolen bases. Whitney Larsen batted .364 with a team-leading two home runs and seven RBI.
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Alabama seniors Brittany Rogers and Ashley Holcombe were named Lowe's Senior CLASS Award candidates. The Alabama duo is among 30 candidates. UA is the only program with two candidates on the 30 name list. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages those leaders to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: Classroom, Character, Community, and Competition.
Attendance Record
Over the weekend Alabama shattered its previous attendance record. With the new editions to the UA Softball Complex the Crimson Tide broke the old record of 2461 set on April 10, 2008 against LSU by drawing 2661 spectators on Friday against No. 1 Washington. UA bettered that on Saturday by having 3012 spectators take in game two between the number ones.
SEC Rankings
The Alabama pitching staff ranks second in the conference with a 1.08 ERA. At the plate UA checks in the top three in on base percentage at third with a .43o mark. The Crimson Tide pace the conference with 60 stolen bases and 68 attempts. Behind the defense of Ashley Holcombe Alabama leads the SEC in pickoffs with seven. Alabama pitchers have only allowed 84 hits which ranks second on the circuit. Individually Kelley Montalvo ranks second in walks with 22 while Brittany Rogers ranks second in stolen bases with 16. Kelsi Dunne leads the conference in ERA with a 0.38 mark and her .148 opponents batting average ranks second.
Next Time Out
Alabama will play a single contest against Mississippi Valley State on Thursday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. before diving into SEC competition against Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide will play a three-game set against the Bulldogs, beginning on Saturday, March 14 at 1:00 p.m.
