Softball treks to Lamar
4/6/2017 3:02:00 PM | Softball
Games 34-36
Sam Houston State (15-18, 6-6 SLC) at Lamar (18-19, 8-4 SLC)
Beaumont • LU Softball Complex (467)
Live Stats • @BearkatsSB on Twitter
Game 1: Friday, 4 pm
Game 2: Friday, 6:15 pm
Game 3: Saturday, 3 pm
HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston State Bearkats can make a push in the Southland Conference standings this weekend when they travel to Beaumont for a three-game set at Lamar, beginning Friday at the LU Softball Complex.
The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 4 p.m., followed by a single game on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. Fans can follow along via live stats or by following @BearkatsSB on Twitter.
The Kats currently sit in a tie with Southeastern Louisiana for fifth place in the league, two games back of the Cardinals who hold the fourth spot. Lamar had won eight of its first nine conference games before getting swept at Southeastern Louisiana last weekend.
Lamar has been excellent on its home field this year, posting an 11-3 mark and are most recently coming off a doubleheader split at Houston on Tuesday.
Both teams enter the weekend tied for second in the league with a .286 team batting average, but do their damage in contrasting ways. The Bearkats .403 slugging percentage is third best in the Southland, while the Cardinals are second with a .386 on-base percentage. LU's seven home runs is the second lowest total in the league, a stark contrast from the Bearkats' 18 bombs; however, they do lead the league with 13 triples and are third with 39 doubles.
Sam Houston did all of its offensive damage last week against SFA with four home runs, including the first two of the season by freshman Casey Kauder. Megan Crosby had her team-leading fifth bomb of the year in the middle game against the Ladyjacks and enters this weekend ranked eighth in the league with a .527 slugging percentage.
Tiffany Thompson provided the difference in the game in the series opener last week with her third homer of the year, a run that brought in her team-best 17th RBI of the year. In all, the Bearkat freshman class has continued to do yeoman's work this season with 14 of the team's 18 homers coming from freshmen.
In the circle, Tayler Atkinson's continues to enjoy the best year of her Bearkat career and will carry a 2.79 ERA into Friday, a mark that ranks 10th in the league. She currently has four wins in conference play and has made a solid tandem with Lindsey McLeod who ranks in the league's top 10 in both opponent's batting average and strikeouts.
They are led by Brittany Rodriguez who currently paces the SLC with a .426 average and is second with a .504 on-base percentage. Brynn Baca's 24 RBI leads a Cardinal roster that sports seven players with at least 11 RBI, while she also has three of LU's seven home runs.
In the circle, Ciara Luna carries the bulk of the load with 107.2 innings in 21 appearances and a 3.12 ERA. Laura Napoli is the next arm in line for LU with a team-high eight wins and a 3.63 ERA in 83.0 innings of work.
SERIES vs LAMAR
Sam Houston is 22-5 all-time against the Cardinals, but are 5-3 since Lamar resurrected the program prior to the 2013 season. Prior to that, the Bearkats had gone 17-2 against LU from 1983-87. This will be the first time the teams have met for a regular-season series since 2014.
