Softball Travels to UNCG for Three-Game Set
4/5/2012 4:13:00 PM | Softball
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern Softball goes back on the road this weekend for a three-game series at UNCG. Last time out, the Eagles took GSU's first series victory over Chattanooga since 2008. For their play in the series, Mackenzie Williams (Baxley, Ga.) and Sarah Purvis (Warner Robins, Ga.) were named SoCon Player and Pitcher of the Week. The series starts on Friday afternoon with a 5 p.m. doubleheader, followed by a 1 p.m. series finale on Saturday.
Williams hit .667 in the three games against Chattanooga with a home run in each game. Her sixth-inning blast in game one gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead which would be enough for victory. Purvis won two games in the series, tossing a shutout in the opener and allowing just three hits in the Sunday finale. She has struck out 141 total batters this season and holds a 12-6 overall record.
Marie Fogle (Rincon, Ga.) closed the month of March with a .554 batting average and is hitting .464 to lead the Southern Conference and rank seventh in the nation. She earned SoCon Player of the Month honors in March for the second-straight season.
The Eagles have been the best team in the league defensively, posting a .970 team fielding percentage. Junior Andrea Tarashuk (Flemington, NJ.) has been stellar at third base, posting a .976 fielding percentage while making just three errors on 123 total chances.
Georgia Southern is 41-22 all-time against UNCG and swept the Spartans last season in Statesboro. UNCG, however, downed the Eagles 2-0 in the SoCon Tournament opener. GSU has 15 wins over the Spartans in Greensboro including 8-of-10 since 2006.
The Spartans are coming off a series sweep over Liberty on Wednesday afternoon with three home runs in the doubleheader. Alex Emeterio leads the Spartans with a .362 average while Katelyn Bedwell has 10 home runs with a .345 average and a .664 slugging percentage. Four UNCG batters are hitting over the .300 threshold while the team is batting .262 as a squad. Cory Mattson is 11-11 this year for the Spartans with a 3.59 ERA and a team-high 62 strikeouts.
Following the weekend series, Georgia Southern travels to Georgia Tech on Tuesday afternoon for a pair of games in Atlanta. The Eagles are back at home next weekend for a series against College of Charleston. The doubleheader on Saturday, April 14th starts at 3 p.m.
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