The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Softball Hosts Louisiana Tech for Conference USA Series
4/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
UAB (24-12, 8-3 C-USA) vs. Louisiana Tech (25-10, 8-4 C-USA)
Saturday, April 11 | 1 p.m. CT/3:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, April 12 | 1 p.m. CT
Birmingham, Ala. | UAB Softball Field
Live Video: Game One | Game Two | Game Three
Live Stats: Game One | Game Two | Game Three
Coverage: Twitter | Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- After playing nine of its past 10 games on the road, the UAB softball team returns home this weekend for a three-game Conference USA series with the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters at UAB Softball Field.
The two teams will open the series with a doubleheader on Saturday, with first pitch for game one set for 1 p.m. CT. The series finale is slated for a 1 p.m. CT start on Sunday.
UAB (24-12, 8-3 C-USA) is 6-0 in home Conference USA games this season, as the Blazers swept both of North Texas and UTEP in weekend series earlier this season.
Louisiana Tech (25-10, 8-4 C-USA) enters this weekend with wins in nine of its last 11, including four straight wins after a sweep of UTEP last weekend and a midweek win over ULM.
Before Saturday's doubleheader, the UAB softball and baseball teams will be hosting the Blazer Block Party. It will last from 11 a.m. CT to 4 p.m. CT, and will include family-friendly activities, including inflatables, face painting, carnival games and an appearance by Blaze.
Former Blazers will be recognized as part of Alumni Weekend on Saturday, while Sunday will be Strike Out Cancer Day, set up to raise cancer awareness.
Every Sunday all season long at UAB Softball Field is Sunday Funday, in which fans are invited to play along with Blazer Bingo, while anyone with military service is admitted free with a valid military ID.
Live video and stats will be made available on UABSports.com throughout the weekend.
UAB Softball Handling Conference Opponents at Home
UAB has played two Conference USA series at home this season, North Texas and UTEP, sweeping both conference sets. In those six games, the Blazers have outplayed the opponent in every phase of the series.
At the plate, UAB is outhitting conference opponents at home, .288 to .176. The Blazers have outscored conference opposition by a combined 17 runs at home, tallying 28 runs to the visitors' 11.
In the circle, UAB has posted a 1.56 team ERA at home versus conference foes, while visiting teams have combined for a team ERA of 4.63. Additionally, the Blazers have struck out C-USA opposition 34 times at UAB Softball Field, while the Blazers have only been struck out half as many times (17).
On defense, UAB has posted a .985 fielding percentage at home versus conference foes, while North Texas and UTEP combined for a .982 fielding percentage.
Scouting Louisiana Tech
As a team, Louisiana Tech ranks third in Conference USA in ERA (2.40). Handling the majority of the work in the circle is Bianca Duran, who has thrown 120.0 of the Lady Techsters' 239.0 innings pitched this season. Duran is 13-8 with two saves, a 2.45 ERA, four shutouts and 38 strikeouts.
Pauline Tufi leads the team in batters struck out (53), and is 4-0 with five saves and a 2.56 ERA in 54.2 innings pitched this season. Rounding out the Lady Techsters' regulars in the circle is Bailey Allen, who has a 6-1 record with a 1.51 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched.
Duran and Tufi are also regulars for Louisiana Tech in the field, as each has appeared in the starting lineup in all 35 games played this season. Duran is batting .345 with seven home runs and 30 RBI, while Tufi is batting .250 with nine home runs and 27 RBI.
Krysta Tutsch leads the Lady Techsters at the dish with a .371 batting average, nine home runs and 26 RBI this season. Anna Cross leads the team in stolen bases (13), and is batting .305 with five home runs and 21 RBI.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account, @UABathletics. For an in-depth look into the UAB softball program, follow @uabsoftball on Twitter.
