The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Softball Travels To Samford For Midweek Doubleheader
3/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 21, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB softball team will face crosstown rival Samford for a midweek doubleheader Tuesday evening. The twinbill, which was a late addition to the schedule due to cancelled games for both teams earlier in the season, will get underway at 4 p.m. CT at Bulldog Field.
Live Coverage
Blazer fans can follow Tuesday's action through Gametracker at uabsports.com.
UAB At A Glance
UAB owns a 20-8 overall record and is 5-0 on the road heading into Tuesday evening's doubleheader at Samford.
The Green and Gold have claimed eight of their last 10 games and swept back-to-back league series. Last weekend, UAB swept a three-game series against Southern Miss at UAB Softball Field to mark the first time in school history that the Blazers have started conference play with a perfect 6-0 record.
The Blazer pitching staff ranks first in C-USA with a 1.27 team ERA. UAB has recorded 11 shutouts and held opponents to a .182 batting average. Lauren Webster (8-2) has a league-low ERA of 0.63 after allowing just four earned runs in 44.1 innings pitched.
The Green and Gold are currently hitting .237 as a team. Right fielder Sallie Van Kirk leads the team with a .351 batting average. Center fielder Caley Walden has posted a team-high 16 runs and 26 hits, while shortstop Kayla Orr has registered 18 RBI.
Scouting Samford
Samford enters Tuesday's twinbill with a 5-22 overall record. The Bulldogs claimed a league series against Furman over the weekend, 2-1, to improve to 2-4 in Southern Conference action.
Samford claimed the first game of last Saturday's doubleheader, 3-0, to snap an 11-game losing streak, before falling, 2-1, in the nightcap. The Bulldogs rallied to edge Furman, 7-6, in Sunday's action.
Samford is hitting .229 as a team with first baseman Robyn Harmon leading the Bulldog bats. Harmon is hitting .385 with 20 hits and nine RBI.
The Bulldogs have utilized four different pitchers this season. Kayla Burris (3-9) has seen the most time in the circle, posting a 5.42 ERA after allowing 57 earned runs in 73.2 innings of work.
Recent Series History
Tuesday's opener will mark the 28th all-time meeting between the two teams and the second of the season. UAB leads the all-time series, 22-5, and has taken the last five contests.
The most recent matchup between the two teams occurred at the All-Alabama Classic on Feb. 12 in Vestavia Hills, Ala. The Blazers jumped out to the early 2-0 lead, but the Bulldogs evened the score in the fourth frame. UAB plated three runs in the bottom of the inning on Samford miscues to reclaim the lead and eventually claim the 7-3 win.
Blazer Weekend Recap
UAB swept its second straight league series after defeating Southern Miss three times over the weekend at UAB Softball Field.
Despite a slow offensive start in Saturday's opener, UAB turned it up in the final two frames to eventually claim the 3-1 win and out-hit Southern Miss, 4-2.
Alisha Smith (4-1) made the start, holding Southern Miss to just one hit and no earned runs in five innings of work. Lauren Webster tossed the final two innings to earn her fifth career save to tie UAB's all-time career saves record held by Kerri Foster.
In Saturday's nightcap, UAB tallied two runs in the third and exploded for a four-run fourth inning to eventually down Southern Miss 6-1. The Blazers out-hit the Golden Eagles, 8-5, with left fielder Catherine Douglass leading UAB's offense. The Hueytown, Ala., product went 3-for-4 with two runs, while right fielder Sallie Van Kirk went 2-for-3 with one run.
UAB scored five runs in the first inning Sunday en route to a 6-2 win over Southern Miss to complete the series sweep. Both teams finished with six hits and had six different players account for those hits.
