March 16, 2009

BULLDOGS OPEN DIVISION I HOME SCHEDULE WITH TUESDAY DOUBLEHEADER, STAY HOME FOR BOUTS AGAINST BOSTON COLLEGE AND MAINE

Monday, March 16, 2009

BULLDOGS OPEN DIVISION I HOME SCHEDULE WITH TUESDAY DOUBLEHEADER, STAY HOME FOR BOUTS AGAINST BOSTON COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY OF MAINE

The Bryant University softball team returns to Smithfield, R.I. Tuesday afternoon for the first of eight-straight home games just one day after spending Spring Break competing in the Rebel Games in Kissimmee, Fla. The Bulldogs open the home stretch with a Tuesday doubleheader against Holy Cross (3 p.m.) before hosting a single contest against the Eagles of Boston College on Saturday (12 p.m.) and rounding out the weekend with a Sunday doubleheader against the University of Maine (12 p.m.) at the Bryant Softball Complex.

In Florida, the Bulldogs captured three victories - a 4-1 win over IPFW, a 5-2 topping of Bucknell and a 2-1 win over Youngstown State - to move to 4-14 overall in their inaugural Division I season. Freshman Lauren McCart (Voorhees, N.J.) paced Bryant for the Games, hitting .350 with a double, three RBI and a .400 slugging percentage. McCart leads the Bulldogs on the year, hitting .256 with 10 hits in her first 18 contests.

Sophomore Samantha Houseal (Mount Joy, Pa.) anchored the Bulldogs on the hill over the Spring Break tournament, going 3-3 on the week with a 2.95 ERA, striking out 42 in 42.2 innings pitched. Houseal sports a 3.13 ERA on the season, fanning 70 and looks to pick up her fifth win of the season in Game One against the Crusaders.

SCOUTING HOLY CROSS (Tuesday doubleheader, starting at 3 p.m.)
The College of the Holy Cross softball team completed its season-opening Spring Break trip with a 5-7 record, winning the last four games of the tournament. The five victories taken at the Rebel Games marks the best season-opening record for the Crusaders in the past five years.

Sophomore Keeley Seniuk started the season with an eight-game hitting streak and leads the Crusaders with a .412 batting average and five doubles on the season while sophomore Caitlin Belanger leads Holy Cross on the mound, picking up three wins in Florida.

Last season, Belanger finished the year with a 1-6 record but has pitched in a team-leading 34.1 innings with 19 strikeouts and just four walks in 2009.

SCOUTING BOSTON COLLEGE (Saturday at 12 p.m.)
The Boston College softball team enters Saturday's game off a seven-day break after games scheduled for March 14 and 15 were cancelled due to inclement weather. The Eagles return to the field in Smithfield, R.I. on Saturday, March 21 with record of 8-12.

Junior Amy Tunstall leads the Eagles with a .351 batting average and 14 RBI on the season while junior Taylor Peyton has helped carry the team on the mound, going 6-6 so far in 2009. Peyton leads the team with 72 innings pitched and 42 strikeouts.

SCOUTING THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE (Sunday doubleheader, starting at 12 p.m.)
The University of Maine (16-12) returns to the field after a stellar performance last week, also at the Rebel Games. The Black Bears went 12-3 on the week with victories over such teams as Holy Cross, Yale and Penn.

But the Black Bears also took a 10-4 victory over Bryant as part of their Rebel Games dominance, with Kali Burnham going 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI against the combination of Houseal and freshman Stephanie Barrett (Plaistow, N.H.). Alexis Souhlaris also had a strong day, going 2-for-3 from the plate with a trio of runs and an RBI on the day.

Bryant was led in the loss by a 2-for-3, one-run performance by senior Kate Thomas (Bedford, N.H.), as four different Bulldogs drove in runs on the afternoon.

The Bulldogs will look to avenge that loss on their home turf Sunday afternoon, looking to take two from the Black Bears. But to do so, they'll have to deal with a pesky Souhlaris again, who leads Maine with a .371 batting average and 20 RBI on the year. The junior also leads the team on the mound with a 2.23 ERA in 37.2 innings pitched.

Senior Ashley Waters is also dangerous at the plate, pacing the team with eight doubles and a triple so far on the season, boasting a .319 batting average.