Game Time: Fri. Apr. 22, 2016 3:00 pm & 5:00 pm
Location: CUW Softball Complex
NCAA Series: CUW leads 3-0.
The Falcons are coming into today's doubleheader at 17-13, winning three of their last four contests. Tied for third in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference this year, and last year's NACC postseason runners up the Falcons have consistently been a dominate team in the region.
This year, CUW has a team batting average of .328 and a 3.27 team ERA. The only area the Falcons come up short against opponents statistically is fielding, by a narrow margin. The Falcons have a .939 fielding percentage, which is still .051 higher than the Blue Angels, and tenth in the NACC.
Leading the way on the pitching rubber for CUW is Melissa Perkins. Perkins leads the team with a 2.82 ERA and strikes out an average of 3.42 batters per contest. Offensively, the Falcons are very consistent, 7-of-9 batters with the minimum at-bats having batting averages of .317 or higher.
The Blue Angels are 5-16 on the season after dropping a pair of games against MSOE. Posting seven hits, but giving up 13 to the Raiders meant the difference in game one. In the second game, the Blue Angels gave up 13 runs in four innings, but had a surge of power as Ashley Contreras (So./College Station, Texas) cracked her third homerun of the season.
The Blue Angels pitching staff has a team ERA of 6.76 in the 21 games played this season. As Contreras has the slight edge in strikeouts with 5.65 per game, fellow hurler Nikki Festge (Sr./Menomonee Falls, Wis.) has not given many free passes walking only 15 batters this season.
Offensively, Jess Runge (Jr./Freedom, Wis.) has led the charge with a .356 batting average, 16 runs scored and four bases stolen. Contreras leads MMU with 23 hits, eight doubles, three homeruns and 14 RBIs.
Live stats and audio will be available at mtmaryathletics.com courtesy of the CUW Athletic Department.
