The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Travels To Tuscaloosa For Easton Classic
3/2/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 2, 2012
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB softball team will travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to take part in the Easton Alabama Classic hosted by No. 1 Alabama. The Blazers kick off the tournament with a 4 p.m. CT match up with UMass on Friday.
Earlier this week, UAB (7-6) posted a pair of victories against Kennesaw State (8-5). The Blazers swept the Owls by scores of 6-1 and 4-0 in the doubleheader.
Against KSU, second baseman Maegan Hornsby went 4-for-6 with two runs, three doubles and one RBI. Designated hitter Kristen McGrath batted .600 (3-for-5) and Kayla Orr hit .571 (4-for-7) with two runs, one double and one RBI.
Pitchers Lannah Campbell and Leigh Streetman each picked up a win. Streetman pitched her second complete game and tossed her first shutout of the season against the Owls.
Mandy Lowman leads the Blazers with a .400 batting average (12-for-30). She has eight runs batted in and scored six more. K. McGrath is hitting .306 with seven RBI and leads the team with four home runs.
In the circle, Amber Torres (1-2) owns a 1.79 ERA with one shutout and one save. She has fanned 16 batters in 15.2 innings pitched. Streetman (2-2) has struck out 38 batters in 37.1 innings. She has allowed 35 hits and 16 earned runs.
UAB in the Easton Alabama Classic:
Friday – vs. UMass, 4 p.m.
Saturday – vs. Maryland, 11 a.m.
vs. UMass, 5:30 p.m.
Sunday – at Alabama, 1:30 p.m. - televised by WVUA
Scouting UMass
UMass went 2-3 against tough competition last weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla.
The Minutewomen (5-5) fell to DePaul, Illinois and No. 9 Tennessee. UMass posted a pair of 1-0 wins over ranked competition in No. 12 Michigan and No. 17 Georgia Tech.
UMass is receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Division I and ESPN.com/USA Softball polls.
Cyndil Matthew leads the Minutewomen offensively, with a .393 batting average and five runs.
Pitcher Sara Plourde owns a 4-4 record with seven complete games pitched. She has struck out 83 batters in 51.2 innings pitched, surrendering just 16 earned runs for a 2.17 ERA.
UAB and UMass met in both teams’ season opener Feb. 10 at the FIU Combat Classic in Miami, Fla. The Blazers came from behind and won that contest 3-2 thanks to back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the seventh. UAB leads the all-time series 2-0.
Scouting Maryland
Last weekend, Maryland went 4-1 in the ESPN Citrus Classic in Kissimmee, Fla. The Terrapins defeated Marshall in both games, Southern Illinois and Wisconsin. Their one loss came at the hands of St. Johns.
The Terps are receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Division I and ESPN.com/USA Softball polls with an overall record of 10-2.
Sophomore Candice Beards leads Maryland with a .385 batting average and has five RBI and two runs. Vangie Galindo is hitting .324 with a team-high 11 runs and 12 hits. She has swiped a team-high six bases on seven attempts.
In the circle, senior Kendra Knight is a perfect 7-0 with a 1.74 ERA. She has thrown five complete games and has fanned 56 batters in 48.1 innings of work.
The March 3 meeting will mark the first between UAB and Maryland.
Scouting No. 1 Alabama
Alabama (13-0) swept the competition at its Easton Bama Bash last weekend downing East Carolina, North Dakota State and SIUE.
Junior Kayla Braud leads the Crimson Tide with a .516 batting average. The leadoff hitter has scored a team-high 13 runs and has plated five more.
Sophomore pitcher Jackie Traina is a perfect 7-0, tossing five complete games, including two shutouts. Traina has struck out 65 batters in 42.0 innings pitched and is holding opponents to a .162 hitting clip.
Alabama leads the all-time series 11-0, with the last meeting coming on UAB’s home opener Feb. 21. The Blazers fell 8-1 in that contest.
Townsend’s 350 Wins At UAB
Head coach Marla Townsend is in her 14th season with UAB and has built and guided the program since its very beginning. She earned her 350th win at UAB when the Blazers defeated Kennesaw State, 4-0, on Feb. 28.
Home Run Hitter
Sophomore Kristen McGrath needs just one more home run to tie her season-best of five. She currently has a team-best four bombs on the season.
Crawford’s Triples
Senior Catherine Crawford smacked two triples at Hillenbrand Invitational, bumping her season total up to three.
Her first triple of the weekend against North Dakota marked the 10th of her career and the most by any UAB player in program history, surpassing the previous record set by Amanda Ellis (2001-04).
Walking the Line
UAB is second in C-USA with 40 walks. Senior Mandy Lowman tops the team and is second-best in the league with 11 walks on the season. Junior Whitney Fletcher is second on the team and fifth in the league with seven walks. Last season, Lowman walked a career-and team-high 29 times.
Consecutive Starts
Senior catcher Mandy Lowman has made 158 consecutive starts dating back to March 24, 2009. In addition, she has appeared in all of UAB’s 185 games throughout her collegiate career.
