Houston Baptist visits for Southland Series
4/5/2013 9:56:00 AM | Softball
With four weeks remaining in the Southland Conference softball regular season, Sam Houston State faces an important home series this weekend when the Kats take on Houston Baptist.
The pair will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game Sunday at the Bearkat Softball Complex. First pitch each day is at 1 p.m.
Sam Houston, 20-18 for the season and locked in a four-way tie for fifth place in the league standings, needs victories.
McNeese State leads the league with an 8-2 Southland mark. Northwestern State is in second at 7-4. The Bearkats will end the regular season with series against both teams.
HBU brings a 13-13 season mark into the weekend and is tied along with Sam Houston, Nicholls and Lamar for fifth.
Sam Houston brings a .302 team batting average into the series. Center fielder Tori Benavidez, a two-time Southland “Hitter of the Week” award winner, sports a .430 average with two doubles, three triples and five home runs.
Other top hitters for the Kats are Tiffany Castillo (.390), Cecilia Castillo (.351), Jessica Slater (.351) and Hillary Adams (.345). Adams has nine home runs to her credit and the Castillo sister each have hit five homers.
Houston Baptist also has power at the plate with a .306 team hitting mean. Lauren Schwirtlich (.506) and Kirsten Schwirtlich (.372) are the Huskies' top hitters.
Next action for the Bearkat softball team is a road series at A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday and Sunday April 13-14 followed by a home duel with Nicholls State Saturday and Sunday April 20-21.
