Softball | 4/13/2017 3:13:00 PM
***SCHEDULE CHANGE - due to weather concerns, GS will face App State for a doubleheder Friday beginning at 4 and a single game Saturday at 1.
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern softball team travels to face Appalachian State in a Sun Belt Conference series this weekend. GS (8-7 SBC) will play App State (0-12 SBC) in a single game on Friday at 4 p.m ET and then face off again for a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. ET. The matchup will have live stats available through the website all weekend, as well as live video streaming
here. Be sure to follow
@GSAthletics_SB on twitter for updates throughout the weekend.
App State enters this weekend's matchup with an overall record of 12-24 and is 0-12 in Sun Belt play. The Mountaineers are currently on a 12-game losing skid, recording their last win on March 22 against UNCG. Most recently the team dropped three games in a conference series on the road last weekend to ULM. Georgia Southern has had the advantage over the years, owning a 42-12 all-time record over App State.
Sophomore utility player Natalie Orcutt leads the Mountaineers' offense in batting average (.333), slugging percentage (.565), hits (36), and runs scored (23). Orcutt extended her on-base streak to 13 consecutive games last weekend against ULM, as well as batting over .500 at the plate and smashing out two hits in both games on Saturday. Sophomore catcher Jenny Dodd shot out her fourth home run of the season last weekend, making it the 14th of her career. Dodd is batting .275 and has racked up 14 RBIs and 25 hits on the season.
Two pitchers saw action in the circle in Monroe on Saturday. Freshman Kenzie Longanecker (8-9) surged her way onto App State's single-season record list firing out four strikeouts for a combined 91. Longanecker is pitching 1.86 and looks to continue her reign in the Sun Belt standings holding top ten spots in multiple categories including the No. 1 position in games finished and games in relief. Senior Vanessa Ciocatto (1-8) pitched her first complete game of the season in 6.0 innings and only allowed two runs on five hits.
The Eagles are coming off of a series sweep over Coastal Carolina last weekend. GS sits at 18-19 overall, 8-7 in conference play. Senior
Emily Snider is leading the offense with a .377 batting average, 27 RBIs and eight home runs.
Mekhia Freeman is second on the team with a .300 average, and right behind her is Lydia Witkowshi with a .298 average.
Dixie Raley is 10-13 in the circle throughout 122.1 innings of work with a 3.26 ERA, and
Kierra Camp is 6-6 with a 4.52 ERA in 88.1 innings.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by visiting GSEagles.com/Tickets.
