March 22, 2010

Week 7 Game Notes

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The University of Memphis softball team travels to St. Louis, Mo., to play former Conference USA foe Saint Louis in a doubleheader on Tuesday at 4 and 6 p.m. at the Billiken Sports Center. The Tigers play their next five games on the road and travel for a three-game C-USA series at Tulsa on Saturday and Sunday.

Memphis (13-9, 3-2 C-USA) is coming off a week in which it won its conference series 2-1 at home against UTEP. The Tigers are currently in fourth place in the league standings. Carly Hummel and Vanessa Walle threw back-to-back shutouts against the Miners in a doubleheader on Saturday. It was the first time Memphis has had two-straight shutouts since 2006. UTEP won the final game of the series on Sunday, 3-1.

The Tigers' pitching staff continues to dominate and leads the league in several categories including ERA (1.38) and opposing bat average (.165). Walle (0.98) and Hummel (1.28) are ranked one and two among the league's ERA leaders and Hummel leads the league in opposing bat average (.131).

Run production has been a battle for Memphis this season, but the Tigers have won 12 of 13 games when they have scored two runs or more. Senior Leigh Rowan leads the team with a .385 batting average and has 15 RBI, four home runs and 10 runs scored. Junior third baseman Maddie McKinley is second on the team with a .308 average and has nine RBI and 11 runs scored.

Saint Louis (11-9) has won seven of its last 10 games. The Billikens are hitting .288 as a team with 16 home runs and 97 runs scored. They are led by sophomore infielder Kelly Flanagan who is hitting .400 with 10 RBI, two home runs and eight RBI. Junior outfielder Kristin Nicoletti is hitting .365 with seven RBI and 13 runs scored.

In the circle, sophomore Hannah Huebbe leads Saint Louis with a 6-3 record and has a 2.61 ERA in 12 appearances. She has struck out 49 and walked 40 in 56.1 innings of work. Sophomore Kelcie Matesa has carried the remaining bulk of the pitching duties for the Billikens and is 5-4 with a 3.23 ERA and 59 K's in 52.0 innings. As a team, Saint Louis has a 3.41 ERA.

History: Memphis vs. Saint Louis
Memphis and Saint Louis have never previously met. The Tigers' softball program came into existence the year after the Billikens left Conference USA for the Atlantic 10 conference. Memphis is 0-1 all-time against teams from the A-10 conference with the only previous match-up being this season in a 2-1 loss to Fordham at the USF Under Armour Invitational in Clear Water, Fla.

Live Coverage
Both games of the doubleheader with Saint Louis can be followed live through GameTracker. A live chat will also be available. Links to the live broadcasts can be found on the softball schedule page at GoTigersGo.com.

Last Week
Memphis won the three-game conference series against UTEP, 2-1. The Tigers shutout the Miners in the first two games, 3-0 and 2-0. Carly Hummel and Vanessa Walle combined for back-to-back shutouts for the first time since the 2006 season. Junior Kailey Kassner had a two-run single in the third inning of game one for the game winner and Walle helped herself with an RBI single in the first inning of game two to score the eventual game winning run. The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game three, but fell 3-1 in the series finale. The Memphis bats cooled off as UTEP's Stacie Townsend held the Tigers to just two hits in the final game.

Next Up
The Tigers will travel to Tulsa for a three-game conference series on Saturday and Sunday. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m. and close with a 1 p.m. game on Sunday.

Tuesday Games/Midweek Doubleheaders
Memphis is a perfect 2-0 in Tuesday games this season and are 3-1 in midweek contests. The last time the Tigers played on a Tuesday was at home against Belmont where the U of M beat the Bruins 7-0 and 12-4.

Record in Games on March 23
Memphis is 1-1 all-time in games played on March 23. The Tigers split a doubleheader at home in 2006 against Southeast Missouri, losing the first game 2-1 and winning game two, 3-2.

Tigers in the State of Missouri
The Tigers are 1-1 all-time in the state of Missouri, splitting a doubleheader at Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau in 2007. Memphis is 6-2 all-time against teams from the state of Missouri. The Tigers are 2-0 against Missouri and 4-2 against Southeast Missouri.

A Walle of Defense
Senior Vanessa Walle leads the league in ERA with a 0.98 mark and has yet to allow a run in two starts in conference play. The Phoenix, Ariz., native has given up just five extra base hits in 57.1 innings of work.

Back-To-Back Shutouts
Memphis had back-to-back shutouts in a doubleheader against UTEP, marking the first time the feat has happened since the team shut out Tennessee State in a doubleheader sweep in 2006. The Tigers have now had four back-to-back shutouts in their history with three of them coming in the team's inaugural season in 2006. UTEP came into the series with Memphis leading the league in runs scored and slugging percentage.

Tigers Need Lead Heading Into Fifth Inning
This season, Memphis is 8-2 when leading after four innings, 8-1 when leading after five and a perfect 9-9 when leading after six. The Tigers have come back to win one time this season when trailing after six and twice when trailing after four.

Scouting Saint Louis
• Saint Louis returns nine of 14 letterwinners, eight of 10 starters and two of four pitchers from a team that went 27-29-1 last season and 12-6 (3rd) in the Atlantic 10.
• The Billikens (11-9) are 7-3 in their last 10 games and went 1-2 in a weather shortened tournament at home last week.
• Sophomore Hannah Huebbe leads the team in the circle with a 6-3 record and a 2.61 ERA. She has thrown two shutouts this season and has struck out 49 batters in 56.1 innings.
• Sophomore infielder Kelly Flanagan has been one of the team's biggest offensive threats this season. Flanagan is hitting .400 with 10 RBI, two home runs and eight runs scored. Junior Kristin Nicoletti is hitting .365 with seven RBI and 13 runs scored.
• Saint Louis is hitting .288 on the season and is averaging 4.85 runs per game. The team ERA is 3.41 and the Billikens have 118 strikeouts in 129.1 innings. Saint Louis has thrown four shutouts and been held scoreless twice. •