UCA up next for Bearkat Softball
3/23/2017 3:28:00 PM | Softball
Games 28-30
Sam Houston State (12-15, 3-3 SLC) vs Central Arkansas (11-20, 2-4 SLC)
Huntsville • Bearkat Softball Complex (400)
Games 1-2: March 24 • 11 a.m. / 1 p.m.
Game 3: March 25 • 3 p.m.
Live Stats • @BearkatsSB on Twitter
HUNTSVILLE – Sam Houston State will look to put an end to a four-game losing skid this weekend when it hosts Central Arkansas for a three-game conference set starting Friday at the Bearkat Softball Complex.
Friday's doubleheader was originally scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., but was moved up to 11 a.m. due to the likelihood of weather issues in the Huntsville area. In the event of completing both games Friday, the Saturday start time of 3 p.m. will remain unchanged. If only one game is completed, or one game plus a partial/suspended game, play will resume at 1 p.m. on Saturday. In this scenario, the second game would begin 30 minutes after completion of the first game.
The Kats had won five in a row following a league-opening sweep at UIW and a midweek win over Texas Southern; however, they dropped three in a row the following weekend at league-favorite McNeese before falling by a 4-1 count to No. 14 Baylor on Tuesday in Waco. Their 3-3 mark through two league series has them tied with Southeastern La. for the fifth best record in the league to date.
Despite a tough offensive stretch for Sam Houston, freshman Kaitlynn Dawson continues to find herself in the top five of the league rankings in both batting average (.371) and slugging percentage (.613), and is one of three Bearkats to have six multi-hit games this year. Meanwhile, Tiffany Thompson closed her week strong with three hits in her last two games, including a solo home run at Baylor on Tuesday. She has hit safely in 14 of her last 17 contests.
In the circle, the Kats have relied primarily on the duo of Tayler Atkinson and Lindsey McLeod who have combined to toss 115 of Sam Houston's 162 innings pitched. Atkinson currently ranks 11th among all SLC pitchers with a 3.17 ERA, while McLeod has had scoreless outings in four of her last five appearances and sports a .210 opponent's batting average, which is third best in the league.
Meanwhile, the Bears will come into Huntsville as winners of each of their last four games after midweek wins over Jackson State and Lyon earlier this week, earning their first true road win of the season in 10 tries in the victory over the Tigers. They boast just a .243 team batting average, but rank second in the league in doubles with 37.
Kaylyn Shepherd's .382 average leads a Bear offense that has three players hitting above the .300 mark, while Cylla Hill has connected on a pair of homers and leads UCA with 16 runs batted in.
Kayla Gomness has started nearly half of UCA's games and her 97.1 innings is more than twice the amount of any other Bear hurler and ranks third in the Southland. Ellie Reaves has gotten much of the remainder of the heavy load, earning a pair of wins in 15 appearances with a 4.85 ERA over 43.1 innings of work.
SERIES vs CENTRAL ARKANSAS
The Bears lead the all-time series over the Bearkats by a 14-11 margin, with all games having come since UCA moved up to Division I and joined the Southland Conference for the 2007 season. The teams last met in the 2014 SLC Tournament in Hammond, La., where the Bears picked up a 1-0 win. In fact, this weekend will mark the first time since the 2013 season that the teams have battled in a three-game conference series. Sam Houston is 4-5 all-time against UCA in games played in Huntsville.
