Alabama Heads to Jacksonville for Midweek Matchup on Tuesday
3/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 24, 2014
THIS WEEK
Fresh off a big series win in Gainesville, the No. 7/9 Alabama Crimson Tide (27-5, 8-1 SEC) head to Jacksonville, Fla., to take on the Jacksonville Dolphins (12-18, 3-8 A-Sun) at 5 p.m. CT.
THE TIDE ON THE AIR
RADIO - 95.3 FM (Local Only)
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE
Jacksonville (12-18, 3-8 A-Sun) - The Dolphins are in the midst of a four-game losing skid, splitting a non-conference doubleheader agianst Marist on Thursday before being swept by Mercer at home in conference play. Jacksonville has three regular starters hitting above .300, led by senior Codi Kelly at .323 with a team-leading 30 hits and six doubles. Sophomore Emily Sanchez is hitting .308 with a team-leading 19 RBI while fellow sophomore Victoria Brown leads the team in home runs (4), walks (18) and on-base percentage (.420). In the circle, Brown (6-7, 3.13 ERA) has been the team's workhorse with 91.2 innings pitched, though she has just 46 strikeouts with 41 earned runs allowed.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the first meeting between the two schools. Prior to this seaosn, Alabama is 13-2 all-time against teams in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA WINS FIRST SERIES IN GAINESVILLE SINCE 2005
Alabama remains on top of the SEC standings through three weeks, thanks to a well-balanced series win in Gainesville, the Tide's first in the Gator's hometown since 2005. Alabama got off to a great start in game one, winning 4-2 and holding off a late push by the Gators in the final inning as the potential tying run was at the plate with two away. Haylie McCleney went 1-4 to extend her career-long hitting streak to 16 games, though it would end there as she went hitless on Saturday. Florida evened the series on Saturday, winning 7-1 to hand Alabama its first SEC loss of the season. Gator starter Hannah Rogers earned the complete-game victory with a Jadyn Spencer solo home run as the only run allowed. In the series rubber match, Alabama won in convincing fasion, shutting out the Gators 7-0. Rogers got the start for Florida again on Sunday but was chased after just 2.0 innings pitched after allowing three earned runs, all on a massive three-run homer by Leona Lafaeel in the first inning. Jaclyn Traina threw her second shutout of the season, limiting the Gators to a season-low two hits for the second time over the weekend.
Jaclyn Traina NAMED SEC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Alabama senior Jaclyn Traina was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week after helping lift the Crimson Tide to its first series win in Gainesville since 2005. Traina went 2-0 over the weekend, throwing two complete-game victories against the top-ranked Gators. On Friday, she allowed just two runs, one earned, and two hits as Alabama won 4-2. In Sunday's rubber match, Traina pitched one of her finest performances of the season, throwing a complete-game shutout with just two hits allowed, both of which came in the first two innings. The two hits allowed in each game are a season low for Florida, who had lost just two games before this weekend. This season, Traina holds an 11-2 record with a 1.84 ERA. She has allowed just 23 earned runs and has struck out 99 batters, averaging 1.13 K/IP and holding a 2.54 K/BB ratio. Against ranked teams this season, Traina is 3-1 with just three earned runs over 27.0 innings pitched.
GREAT IN GAINESVILLE
Alabama's series win in Gainesville was the first for the Crimson Tide since the 2005 season. Alabama has now won the past two straight regular-season series against the Gators, last defeating them to end the 2012 regular season in Tuscaloosa. Since that series in 2012, Florida had not lost a single SEC series until this past weekend. Alabama is now 32-26 all-time against Florida. The teams have met in each of the last two SEC Tournaments, with Florida winning in 2013 and Alabama winning in 2012 to win a tournament title.
NEXT TIME OUT: VS. LSU
This weekend, Alabama returns home for a three-game series against the LSU Tigers (19-12, 2-4 SEC). Game one is set for a 6:34 p.m. CT first pich on Friday, March 28 and will be aired on WVUA-TV. Game two on Saturday, March 29 will also be on WVUA-TV, and first pitch is set for 2:04 p.m. CT. The series finale on Sunday, March 30 will be aired on Fox Sports South with a first pich of 1:05 p.m. CT.
