MOUNT ST. MARY'S (10-24, 2-2 NEC) at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (10-16-1, 0-0 NEC)
Saturday, April 16, 2016, 1 pm (DH)
CCSU Softball Field, New Britain, Conn.
LIVE STATS
MOUNT ST. MARY'S (10-24, 2-2 NEC) at BRYANT (3-26, 2-2 NEC)
Sunday, April 17, 2016, 12 pm
LIVE STATS | WATCH
MOUNT UPDATE: Mount St. Mary's has won four games in a row, and enters the weekend 10-24 overall and 2-2 in the Northeast Conference. The Mount swept Howard at home this past Tuesday to stretch the win streak to four games. The Mount took the opener, 6-0, before rallying for an 11-7 victory in game two. In the opening game, Rachel Heinze hit her 16th home run of the season, matching the Northeast Conference's single-season record. Sam Lichtner and Katie Olson combined for a shutout in the first game while Marian Ruf drove in five runs, including a game-tying grand slam in the third inning, in the Mount's 11-7 victory in game two.
ABOUT CENTRAL CONNECTICUT ST.: Central Connecticut State is 10-16-1 overall on the season after a 6-0 loss at Connecticut on Wednesday. The Blue Devils will be playing their NEC opener against the Mount after last weekend's doubleheaders at Robert Morris and Saint Francis U were postponed due to the weather. Kaitlin Patterson leads the team with a .315 average and seven doubles. Emily Sargent is the top pitcher with a 6-6 record and a 3.14 ERA in 98 innings of work.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: The Mountaineers are 15-19 all-time against Central Connecticut in the series that began in 1999. The Mount is 7-11 on the road against the Blue Devils. Last year, CCSU swept a doubleheader at the Mount (2-0 and 12-2), and the Blue Devils have won the past five matchups with the Mount.
ABOUT BRYANT: Bryant is 3-26 overall, but has a 2-2 record in Northeast Conference play. Bryant lost to Providence, 7-0, on Wednesday after splitting an NEC twinbill against LIU Brooklyn this past Sunday. Elle Madsen leads the team with 21 hits, 13 runs scored and a .259 average this season. Taylor Burger is hitting .250 with team highs of three home runs and 11 RBI. Madsen is also the top pitcher, going 2-8 with a 4.05 ERA in 13 appearances.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: The Mount and Bryant have split 12 all-time meetings in the series that dates back to 2010. Last year, the Mount split a twinbill at home with the Bulldogs, falling 13-0 before earning a 6-5 win in game two. Bryant has won four of the past five games against the Mountaineers.
HEINZE CONTINUES TO SHINE: Rachel Heinze's two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning in the Mount's 6-0 win over Howard on Tuesday was her 16th homer of the year. The 16 home runs tie the Northeast Conference single-season record set by Wagner's Andrea Lazzari in 2009. Heinze is currently in the top 10 in the nation in both total home runs (T7th, 16) and home runs per game (6th, 0.47/game). She now has 23 career home runs at the Mount, two shy of Liz Christiansen's school record. Heinze already broke Christiansen's single-season mark of 11 set in 2010. For the season, Heinze is hitting .340 with eight doubles, a triple, 16 homers, 33 RBI and 31 runs scored. She is also 7-for-8 in stolen base attempts.
RACHEL HEINZE AND LINDSAY HEINZE NET NEC WEEKLY HONORS: Junior outfielder Rachel Heinze collected her second NEC Player of the Week award on Monday while freshman shortstop Lindsay Heinze was named the NEC Rookie of the Week. Rachel hit .500 with three doubles, two home runs and five runs scored for the Mountaineers last week. She hit a walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Mount to an 8-7 win over Sacred Heart in the opening game of Sunday's doubleheader. Lindsay hit .444 with two home runs, four runs scored and eight RBI for the Mount last week. She hit a three-run homer in the opening game against Sacred Heart while her grand slam in game two propelled the Mount to the win.
THIS AND THAT: Holly Buckel is riding a nine-game hit streak for the Mountaineers…She is hitting .500 (14-for-28) with three homers and nine RBI over that span…Shea McFarland has reached base in each of the past 13 games for the Mount…McFarland is hitting .274 on the year with a .378 on-base percentage…Marisa Mayes is hitting .439 with 16 runs scored over the past 20 games…Marian Ruf is 4-3 with a 3.33 ERA in her last 42.0 innings pitched…Sam Lichtner has struck out 36 batters over he past 11 appearances (7 starts).
