The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Time Change For UAB Softball Doubleheader At Tulsa
4/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 21, 2011
UAB-Tulsa Game Notes | | Game 1 Gametracker | Watch
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The top two teams in Conference USA meet this weekend as the league-leading UAB softball team travels to second-place Tulsa for a critical three-game series. The Blazers and Golden Hurricane open the series with a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 1 p.m. at the Hardesty Complex and conclude with one game on Sunday at noon.
UAB At A Glance
UAB (32-13, 12-3 C-USA) has claimed 19 of its last 25 contests and is 12-2 on the road heading into the weekend series at Tulsa.
The Blazers have won 10 of their last 14, including a 4-2 win over Troy on Tuesday. In the last conference outing, UAB split a doubleheader Saturday against East Carolina, dropping the first contest, 3-2 in 11 innings, before earning a 2-0 win in the second game. The Blazers suffered a 6-2 loss in the series finale on Sunday.
The UAB pitching staff ranks second in C-USA with a 1.53 team ERA. UAB has recorded 16 shutouts and held opponents to a .201 batting average. Leigh Streetman (11-5) has the league's fourth-best ERA at 1.27 after allowing 24 earned runs through 132.2 innings pitched while fanning 142.
The Green and Gold are currently hitting .257 as a team. Centerfielder Caley Walden leads the team in batting average (.356), hits (53) and runs (27), while shortstop Kayla Orr has registered a team-best 22 RBI.
Scouting Tulsa
Tulsa brings a 35-11 overall and 14-4 C-USA record into Friday's series opener. The Golden Hurricane is coming off a doubleheader sweep of Kansas on Tuesday, winning 3-0 and 4-2.
Caitlin Everett leads Tulsa in batting with a .372 average, collecting a team-best 54 hits. Samantha Cobb is hitting .345 with a team-leading 32 RBI, while Jill Barrett has scored the most runs at 27.
A trio of pitchers have split time in the circle for Tulsa. Aimee Creger owns a team-best ERA of 0.99 and has a 17-2 record. Creger has fanned 188 batters through 134.0 innings. Jordan Kinard is 8-5 with a 2.38 ERA, while Lacey Middlebrooks is 10-4 with a 2.41 ERA.
Recent Series History
Tulsa owns the series advantage over UAB, 12-7. The Golden Hurricane took two out of three against the Blazers in last year's series in Birmingham. Tulsa sandwiched 5-4 and 4-1 victories around UAB's game-two 4-3 win last season. Prior to UAB's win in the second game of the doubleheader in 2010, Tulsa had won five in a row.
The Blazers are 1-5 in Tulsa, with the lone win coming in a 3-1 victory in 2004.
30-Win Mark
UAB earned its 30th win of the season with a 7-0 victory over Jacksonville State on April 15. It marks the second-straight season UAB has reached the 30-win plateau and fifth time in program history.
Streetman's Strikeouts
Freshman pitcher Leigh Streetman recorded 10 strikeouts in UAB's 2-0 win against Kennesaw State on April 12. She topped that performance with 12 strikeouts against East Carolina on April 16, marking the most of her career and most for any Blazer pitcher this season.
Stellar Pitching
The UAB pitching staff has been stellar so far this season. The Blazer pitchers have combined for a 1.53 ERA, the second-best in C-USA and ninth in the nation. Leigh Streetman's five saves are seventh nationally.
Latest RPI
UAB currently sits 39th in the NCAA RPI. Houston holds the highest spot of any C-USA team at 24th and Tulsa also ranks ahead of the Blazers in 28th.
