MOUNT ST. MARY'S (5-16, 0-0 NEC) vs. BRYANT (7-17, 0-0 NEC)
Saturday, March 28, 2015 | Doubleheader | 1 & 3 p.m.
Our Lady of the Meadows Field | Emmitsburg, Md.
LIVE STATS: Game 1 | Game 2
MOUNT ST. MARY'S (5-16, 0-0 NEC) at ROBERT MORRIS (12-13, 0-0 NEC)
Sunday, March 29, 2015 | Doubleheader | 2 & 4 p.m.
North Athletic Complex | Moon Township, Pa.
VIDEO: NECFrontRow.com
LIVE STATS
MOUNT UPDATE: Coming off a sweep of Coppin State on Wednesday, the Mount jumps into Northeast Conference play with doubleheaders versus Bryant at home on Saturday and on the road at Robert Morris on Sunday. Freshman Morgan Alisauckas has been the story for the Mount offensively, leading the team in batting average (.340), home runs (6), RBIs (17) and hits (18). Another freshman, Marian Ruf, leads the pitching staff with a 4.67 ERA to go with a team-high 33 strikeouts.
LAST TIME OUT: Senior pitcher Danni Cummings earned a pair of victories, and the bats came alive to the tune of four home runs to help the Mount sweep Wednesday's doubleheader with Coppin State at Our Lady of the Meadows Field.
Mount St. Mary's cruised to an 11-0 victory in five innings in game one before earning a 7-5 victory in comeback fashion in the nightcap. Freshman Morgan Alisauckas belted a pair of home runs with sophomore Rachel Heinze and freshman Niki Gonzalez also hitting homers for the Mount in the victories over Coppin State.
ABOUT BRYANT: The reigning Northeast Conference champion Bulldogs traveled around the country in nonconference play, competing in tournaments in South Carolina and Arizona as well as games in four different California cities. A First Team All-NEC selection a year ago, Elle Madsen has hit a team-best seven home runs and also leads Bryant's pitching staff with a 3.53 ERA in 83.1 innings.
LAST SEASON VS. THE BULLDOGS: In a clash of the two top teams in the NEC standings at the time, Bryant won both games of a doubleheader in Smithfield, R.I. last season. After taking game one by a 2-0 final score, the Bulldogs completed the sweep with a 4-1 victory in game two. Then-senior Cat Clifford delivered an RBI single in game two for the Mount, but Bryant's Elle Madsen tossed a pair of complete games to pick up both wins.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. BRYANT: The series with Bryant is all knotted up at 5-5. The Bulldogs have won the last three meetings between the two sides, and the Mount's record versus Bryant in games in Emmitsburg is 2-2.
ABOUT ROBERT MORRIS: Carrying a 12-13 overall record, Robert Morris currently ranks second in the league for overall wins, trailing only Saint Francis U with 17. The Colonials will host Sacred Heart on Saturday before taking on the Mount on Sunday. The lineup for Robert Morris includes three players hitting .300 or better led by Jordan Gurganus' .405 average. In the circle, Nicole Sleith boasts a 1.48 ERA and has recorded 161 strikeouts in 109 innings.
LAST SEASON VS. THE COLONIALS: The Mount and Robert Morris split a doubleheader at Our Lady of the Meadows Field last spring. The Colonials won game one, 10-0, but the Mountaineers bounced back with a 1-0 win in game two thanks to a complete-game shutout by pitcher Nicole Pagano. Holly Buckel scored from first off a Rachel Gavigan double for the game's only run in the nightcap.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. ROBERT MORRIS: Mount St. Mary's has gone 7-38 in the all-time series versus Robert Morris. The Mount had lost 13 in a row to the Colonials until a 1-0 win in game two of last year's doubleheader. In games played on the road in the series, the Mountaineers have compiled a 1-21 record with the lone win coming by an 8-0 margin in 2003.
POWER HITTING: Through 21 games, the Mount has hit 15 home runs, surpassing last year's total of 12 home runs in 44 games. Freshman Morgan Alisauckas has six home runs and is two away from tying the freshman record for the Mount of eight held by Amanda Blizzard. The single-season record for home runs is 11, which was set by Liz Christiansen in 2010.
NEC PRESEASON POLL: Mount St. Mary's was selected to finish eighth in the annual Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. Central Connecticut was picked first in the poll with four first-place votes, followed closely by Bryant, which also picked up four top votes. LIU Brooklyn and Robert Morris finished 3-4 in the poll with the Blackbirds of LIU picking up the final first-place vote. FDU, Saint Francis U and Wagner followed, with the Mount finishing ahead of Sacred Heart in this year's poll.
UP NEXT: The Mount hosts Cornell on Tuesday, March 31, for a home doubleheader at Our Lady of the Meadows Field. Games are set for 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
