Marshall University Athletics
Softball Sweeps MAC Weekly Awards
5/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Softball Sweeps MAC Weekly Awards
5/2/2005
Randi Nielson, the MAC East Division Pitcher of the Week, celebrated Senior Day on Sunday with her 18th win of 2005 and 59th of her illustrious career. |
CLEVELAND ? After clinching the East Division this weekend, the Marshall softball team has more to celebrate as it swept the Mid-American Conference weekly awards, announced by the league office on Monday. Randi Nielson (Tucson, Ariz.) and Rachel Folden (Baldwin Park, Calif.) were named MAC East Division Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively.
Nielson, who celebrated Senior Day on Sunday as the Herd?s lone four-year veteran, went 3-1 on the week with her only loss coming at the hands of Tennessee. In that game, Nielson went the distance in a 3-0 loss, giving up only four hits. UT, who is ranked in the top 10 in the country in batting average, did not gather an extra base hit in the outing against Nielson.
The senior pitched 26 1/3 innings, registered 14 strikeouts and gave up 20 hits in four games for the Herd. She went 3-0 in the conference with two wins against Eastern Michigan and one earlier in the week versus Ball State. She boasted a 2.13 ERA on the week.
Folden was critical in the Herd?s five-win week which clinched the East Division title for Marshall for the third time in the last six years. On Monday, the freshman went 4-for-4 in game two against Ball State, including a pair of doubles, a home run and five RBI. Against No. 13 Tennessee, Folden showed that she can hang with the best by racking up a double in the seventh inning to break up a no-hitter by Vol hurler Monica Abbott.
On the week, the catcher batted .435 (10-for-23) with a massive 1.636 slugging percentage. She gathered five doubles, a home run, three runs and 10 RBI. Her walk-off, two-RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning against Eastern Michigan in game two gave Marshall the win and the East Division crown.
The award is Folden?s second straight and the third for both her and Nielson this season.
Marshall will attempt to win the regular season title when it travels to Kent State for a three-game series beginning on Saturday.
