The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Softball Heads To Troy State For Saturday Doubleheader
2/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 13, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The UAB (1-5) softball team will return to action in its 2004 non-conference schedule on Saturday as the Blazers head south to Troy for a two-game set against the Troy State (0-0) Lady Trojans beginning at 1 p.m. at the Lady Trojan Softball Complex.
"We're really looking forward to this weekend," said UAB head coach Marla Townsend. "These are going to be Troy State's first games of the season and we actually beat them in their first game at their new stadium last season. We have a good friendly rivalry against them and they are a very high-caliber team. It's going to be exciting to see who shows up and who comes out on top."
UAB heads into Saturday's contest looking to snap a five-game losing streak. After defeating Hawai'i, 4-3, in their season-opener last week, the Blazers dropped five-consecutive contests against a variety of tough teams at the 2004 Paradise Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Among the Blazers' five losses last weekend were a pair of hard-fought, one-run defeats at the hands of BYU and St. Mary's.
Against St. Mary's, UAB kept the Gaels scoreless for seven innings, but surrendered a late run in the ninth inning to lose by a final score of 2-1. In the pitching duel, the Blazers' Erica Mascarenas struck out nine batters and didn't allow an earned run.
Last Saturday, BYU defeated UAB, 2-1, despite the fact that the Blazers had three batters post two-hit performances. UAB's Kris Lara, Chelsea McCall and Beth Mullins each finished the game with a pair of hits, but the Blazers stranded nine batters and were only able to plate one run in the defeat.
"This doubleheader against Troy State is going to be huge for our team," Townsend said. "We are going to have to rebound well from last week and we made the decision to play top teams to open the season. We played against some of the top teams in the country in Hawai'i and we did that to make us a better team. I'm confident that we'll bounce back tomorrow and be ready to play."
UAB also faced off against the 23rd-ranked Oregon State Beavers and the 25th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols last week at the 2004 Paradise Classic. The Blazers gave up two big innings against Tennessee and fell, 9-1, on Friday, before dropping a 3-0 contest versus Oregon State on Saturday. Against Oregon State, UAB's pitching combination of Mascarenas and Brittany Hodge held the Beavers to only four hits during the contest.
Troy State leads the all-time series between the schools by an advantage of 4-2. During the last three seasons, UAB opened the year against Troy State and the teams split contests in both 2003 and 2002. During the 2001 season, Troy State won both games of the doubleheader held at George Ward Park.
The UAB softball team will play its first contest of the 2004 season on the mainland of the United States on Saturday as the Blazers square off against the Troy State Lady Trojans in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at the newly-constructed Lady Trojan Softball Complex.
