Eagles Open Seven-Game Homestand Against Dolphins
3/29/2011 12:26:00 AM | Softball
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern Softball returns to action on Tuesday, March 29th, against Jacksonville to close out the month at Eagle Field. The Eagles (17-18, 7-2 SoCon) return home for Tuesday's 3 p.m. doubleheader following a series victory against College of Charleston. The Eagles rallied in the late innings to take the final two games of the weekend series.
Tuesday's games are the 11th and 12th meetings between the Eagles and Dolphins all-time with the Eagles holding a 7-3 lead in the series. Georgia Southern has won three of the last four games in the series including a pair of victories last year on Florida's First Coast.
Senior Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) was the hero of Sunday's series finale. The utility player hit a towering home run over the left-centerfield fence to give the Eagles a 6-5 lead. The home run was Smith's seventh of the season and her 20th RBI.
Marie Fogle, a junior from Rincon, Ga., leads the Eagles with a .398 batting average and 11 home runs. Her home run total leads the Southern Conference and ranks among the top 20 in the nation. She has 23 RBI and leads the nation in first inning leadoff home runs. She has also posted a .770 slugging percentage and started all 35 games this season.
The Eagle pitching staff is led by Allie Miles (Dacula, Ga.) with eight wins and 88 strikeouts. She ranks second in the Southern Conference in strikeouts and leads the league's freshmen pitchers wins. Senior Brianna Streetmon (Winder, Ga.) has seven wins in the circle and 67 strikeouts.
Georgia Southern Head Softball Coach Maggie Johnson picked up her 75th career victory in Saturday's 4-3 triumph over College of Charleston. She is now 76-69 all-time with a 35-21 mark in SoCon games.
Jacksonville (21-12, 4-0 A-Sun) enters Tuesday's twin bill on a four-game winning streak with victories over Mercer and Kennesaw State. The Dolphins have three batters hitting above the .300 mark, including Sarah Simon with five home runs.
The JU pitching staff is anchored by Sarah Sigrest's 12-4 record and 1.07 ERA. She has 100 strikeouts and is holding opposing batters to a .183 average. Olivia Kline is 9-5 with a 1.61 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 87.0 innings of work.
The Eagles play host to Samford this weekend for a three-game SoCon series.
On Saturday, April 2nd, the Georgia Southern Softball team will support the ongoing fight against breast cancer with a Breast Cancer Awareness Game. The Eagles will sell special pink T-shirts and headbands on Wednesday and Thursday of this week from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Russell Student Union on campus. The themed T-shirts are $15 and headbands are $5. Both items will also be available for purchase on game day.
Fans may follow all the action of the 2011 Georgia Southern Softball season by visiting GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com/softball or check in for scores at twitter.com/GSScores or facebook.com/GSAthletics for updates.
