Defending champion next up for Kats
3/15/2018 7:57:00 PM | Softball
Games 25-27
March 16-17 • Huntsville • Bearkat Softball Complex
Sam Houston State (10-14, 3-0 Southland) vs McNeese (17-9, 0-3 Southland)
Game 1 • 6:30 pm • March 16: Live Stats • @BearkatsSB on Twitter
Game 2 • 12 pm • March 17: Live Stats • @BearkatsSB on Twitter
Game 3 • 2 pm • March 17: Live Stats • @BearkatsSB on Twitter
HUNTSVILLE – After sweeping through its opening weekend of Southland Conference play, the Sam Houston State softball team will get their crack at the league's defending champions when they host McNeese for three games beginning Friday at the Bearkat Softball Complex.
The Bearkats took all three games from UIW over the weekend and then split a midweek doubleheader with Marist to gain some momentum going into this weekend against the Cowgirls. Still with wins in seven of its last 10 games, Sam Houston has an opportunity to make a statement early in league play.
Central Arkansas made their own statement last weekend against McNeese, sweeping the Cowgirls in three games in Conway. McNeese, who was ranked nationally at the time, had not been swept in a three-game league series since 2011 prior to last weekend. That series was sandwiched in between losses to FAU and Houston before McNeese put an end to that five-game losing streak with a win over FIU on Wednesday night at Cowgirl Diamond.
Sam Houston was one of five Southland teams to pull off a sweep on the first weekend of league play and did so behind stellar pitching from both Lindsey McLeod and Kaitlynn Dawson. McLeod currently stands at 7-4 on the season and through five weeks of the season has been one of the premier arms in the Southland, leading the league in ERA (1.71), opponent's batting average (.188) and strikeouts (94) while ranking second in innings pitched (77.2).
She will be tested against a McNeese offense that hits .289 as a team and is leading the SLC in both slugging (.452) and on-base percentage (.398) while scoring 5.4 runs per game.
Erica Piancastelli continues to lead the Cowgirl attack as she is back for her senior season after winning both the SLC Hitter and Player of the Year honors each of the past three seasons. She is one of three McNeese hitters with better than a .300 average and is still near the top of the league in homers (7), doubles (11) and RBI (26). Justyce McClain has been a key part of the offense as well, leading the Cowgirls with a .443 average entering the weekend.
For the Kats, Megan McDonald has hit safely in each of her last five games and has 12 hits in 22 at-bats over her last seven games overall, while fellow sophomore Tiffany Thompson has smashed four home runs in her last five games.
