Kats to open up vs SFA on Friday
3/30/2017 4:32:00 PM | Softball
Games 31-33
Sam Houston State (14-16, 5-4 SLC) vs Stephen F. Austin (11-21, 2-4 SLC)
Huntsville • Bearkat Softball Complex (400)
Live Stats • @BearkatsSB on Twitter
Game 1: Friday, 3pm (ESPN3)
Game 2: Friday, 5pm (ESPN3)
Game 3: Saturday, 3pm
HUNTSVILLE – The Southland Conference season rolls on for the Sam Houston State Bearkats this weekend as they host Piney Woods rival Stephen F. Austin in a three-game set at Bearkat Softball Complex beginning Friday.
The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 3 p.m., followed by a single game on Saturday afternoon. Friday's games will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app with Matt Pedersen providing play-by-play and Megan Trammel on analysis. Fans can also follow along via live stats or by following @BearkatsSB on Twitter.
The Kats currently sit all alone in fifth place through three league series after taking two of three from Central Arkansas a week ago, while the Ladyjacks enter the weekend at 2-4 after falling in two of three games against Lamar last week. They have dropped seven of their last nine games overall.
The teams have gotten it done in different ways with the Kats sporting one of the top offenses in the Southland while the Ladyjacks have done it from the circle, led by ace pitcher Callee Guffey who leads the league with a 1.44 ERA. Sam Houston comes into the series ranked in the league's top three in batting average (.291), slugging percentage (.400) and on-base percentage (.356) while SFA has scored at least five runs in just three games this year, including three or less in eight of its last 10 games.
Meanwhile, Sam Houston got outstanding pitching in its weekend series against UCA as Lindsey McLeod and Tayler Atkinson combined to allow just one earned run and seven hits in the three-game set against the Bears. McLeod held each of her opponent's scoreless in 12.0 innings over three appearances on the week, claiming Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday.
For the Ladyjacks, eight of their 10 home runs on the season have come from the duo of Brittany Lewis and Amber Landry, who are the only two hitters on the SFA roster with at least 10 RBI. On the flip side, Sam Houston has seven players with at least 10 RBI, including Megan McDonald and Tiffany Thompson who are tied for the team lead with 16 RBI.
SERIES vs STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
The Bearkats and Ladyjacks have played every year since 1981 with Sam Houston owning the all-time series with an 86-55 advantage. The Kats have taken the regular-season series from SFA each of the last two years and in five of the last six seasons.
