Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Softball Set for Tennessee Classic
2/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 27, 2009
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Marshall University softball team is set to finish the month of February with a trip to Knoxville, Tenn. to compete in the Tennessee Classic hosted by the University of Tennessee.
The Thundering Herd (7-6) will open up against former Mid-American Conference opponent Bowling Green Saturday starting at 1:00 p.m. The team will come back later that evening for a showdown with Winthrop at 6:00 p.m.
To finish off the tournament, the Herd will take on James Madison Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. and an afternoon game against host Tennessee 2:00 p.m. to end the weekend. The game against Bowling Green will take place at Caswell Park and while the other three will be played at Tennessee's home field, Sherri Lee Stadium.
The Falcons own the biggest margin against the Herd, leading the series 18-4. The two last met in 2005, Marshall's last season in the MAC as Bowling Green walked away with a 5-3 win.
Marshall and Winthrop have met seven times with the Herd leading the series 4-3. The last meeting was in 2006 at the Georgia Softball Classic. The two met twice with each team walking away with a win.
The Herd has taken both meetings against James Madison with both games being played at ECU in 2005. Marshall took the first game 5-0 and the second 6-3.
Tennessee has a 4-2 edge in the series against Marshall. They last met in 2005 with then-ranked No. 11 Tennessee taking a pair of games.
Last weekend, Marshall competed in the Georgia Softball Classic. The Herd started the weekend 3-0 with victories over UNC-Greensboro, IUPUI and Ball State. The weekend ended with back-to-back losses to host No. 16/17 Georgia and an eighth-inning loss to Tennessee State 9-8.
Junior Katie Murphree (Tallahassee, Fla.) started out the weekend strong with a 10-strikeout performance against UNC-Greensboro. She would go the distance striking out 10 and only walking three en route to a complete game victory.
Not to be outdone, senior Autumn Mitchell (Shady Spring, W.Va.) placed her name next to Murphree's with a 10-strikeout performance against Tennessee State Sunday. Mitchell went five innings and allowed only one walk.
After missing the South Florida tournament due to injury, sophomore Melanie Stoehr (Tacoma, Wash.) jumped back into the line-up as she went 7-for-15 over the weekend with a home run. Stoehr is now batting .481 and tied with junior Caitlyn Jackson (Ontario, Calif.) for the team lead in RBIs with nine.
For complete results and schedule of the Tennessee Classic, visit http://www.utladyvols.com/. Live stats will be available for Marshall's contests against Winthrop, James Madison and Tennessee. The team's opening game at Caswell Park will not have internet service.
