The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Softball Slated For Weekend Series At Marshall
3/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 18, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The UAB softball team will travel to Marshall this weekend for a three-game series beginning Friday. The first pitch is slated for 2 p.m. ET at Dot Hicks Field, followed by a doubleheader Saturday starting at 1 p.m. ET.
This weekend's series marks the third time the Blazers have made the trip to Huntington. UAB softball made its inaugural trip to Huntington in 2006 and returned in 2008. Marshall leads the series 8-6, but the Blazers took their last meeting, 6-4, on April 19, 2009 in Birmingham.
UAB (15-7, 1-2 C-USA) currently leads Conference USA with a team batting average of .289, and has five batters hitting over .300. Senior leadoff hitter Martina Landrum boasts a .428 batting average, the fourth-highest in C-USA. Landrum has belted 32 hits, including 11 extra base hits and 13 RBI for the season.
Last weekend UAB went 1-2 against Tulsa to open conference play. The Blazers dropped a 5-4 decision, before defeating the Golden Hurricane, 4-3, Saturday at UAB Softball Field. UAB fell to Tulsa, 4-1, Sunday to conclude the series.
In the second game Saturday, UAB entered the fifth trailing, 3-1, but battled back with a three-run inning to win the game. Landrum was a force at the plate during the doubleheader, going 4-for-6 with three runs, including her third career home run.
Junior pitcher Alisha Smith (4-4) made two appearances for the Blazers during the series, striking out 11 batters in 11 innings of work. In Sunday's game, Smith took over in the fourth and only allowed one hit for the remainder of the game.
Marshall (14-10, 0-3 C-USA) went 0-3 against UTEP in last weekend's series to open conference play. The Miners edged the Thundering Herd by one run in all three games in El Paso.
At the plate senior Caitlyn Jackson led Marshall with a .467 batting average for the week. Jackson hit three doubles and boasted a .700 batting average against UTEP.
In the circle, senior Katie Murphee (8-6) threw her second shutout of the season as Marshall blanked Valparaiso, 8-0. Murphee retired 20 batters and only allowed eight hits in 17.1 innings pitched.
Marshall leads Conference USA in bases stolen by a margin of 34. The Thundering Herd have racked up 64 stolen bases in 75 attempts in the young 2010 campaign. Freshman Ashley Gue leads the team with 15 stolen bases in 16 attempts.
Fans can follow this weekend's action online through Gametracker live stats at uabsports.com.
