Marshall University Athletics
Softball Opens Conference Play at Tulsa
3/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 11, 2011
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - After a 4-2 week with three wins at home during the Marshall Invitational, the Thundering Herd softball team opens Conference USA action by traveling to Tulsa, Okla., to face a 14-7 Tulsa squad. The three-game C-USA opening series is slated for a 2 p.m. start on Saturday.
Marshall moved to 10-10 after a mid-week split at Ohio, where the Herd fell 2-5 in game one then picked up a 6-2 win in the second game to earn Erika Bennett her first victory at MU.
The six contests played in the past week saw marked improvement for the Herd offensively as big numbers are coming off the bats of Taylor Thompson and Alysia Hively, who pace the team with a .429 and .417 batting average, respectively.
Jazmine Valle had a stellar performance against Kent State over the weekend, roping in six RBI and two runs during Marshall's 17-16 victory. The sophomore has a team-best 18 hits and is tied for the lead in doubles with four.
MU's pitching staff continues to provide solid defense in the field, as its experienced depth saw three pitchers pick up wins during the past week. Andi Williamson has a club-best 2.79 ERA in 57.2 innings, with Natalee Pulver close behind in innings logged at 53.0. Pulver nabbed two W's during the week for a 3-4 record on the season.
As the Herd travels to conference action the threat in the circle is stronger as every pitcher on the staff has seen viable time out of the bullpen.
Tulsa is coming off a 9-0 loss to No. 9 Oklahoma on Wednesday night. Despite faltering to the Sooners, the Golden Hurricane has won 11 of their last 13 games. A duo threat at the plate comes from Caitlin Everett and Samantha Cobb, as the tandem leads the team in nearly every offensive category. Everett is hitting at a .385 clip with 12 runs, 25 hits and a .459 on-base percentage while Cobb is hitting .375 with 10 runs, 24 hits and a team-best 15 RBI.
Aimee Creger (7-1) brings a 1.07 ERA to the series, with three shutouts and 84 strikeouts in 52.1 innings of work.
GameTracker will be provided for the series by logging on to the softball schedule at herdzone.com.
