Softball Embarks on 12-Day Road Trip
3/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Liberty softball team leaves town today for a 12-day road trip, with 15 games scheduled in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. The Lady Flames' first stop will be Woodstock, Ga., when Liberty competes in the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic, starting Friday.
Liberty will face Dartmouth and Kennesaw State on Friday at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, followed by Saturday matchups against Akron at 11 a.m. and Rhode Island at 4 p.m. The tournament will conclude with a 9 a.m. game against Kentucky on Sunday.
The Lady Flames are 3-2 on the year after a successful run in the USC Upstate Spartan Classic in Spartanburg, S.C., Feb 19-21.
The Lady Flames are led by Kaylee West, who is batting .500 on the year with five hits, four RBIs and a home run. Ashley Bensinger boasts a .400 batting average with four hits and four RBIs through five games.
Junior hurler Tiffani Smith leads the pitching staff with a 2-1 record and 20 strikeouts in 14 innings of work.
Scouting the Field at the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic
Dartmouth
Liberty opens the Buzz Classic against Dartmouth on Friday at 1 p.m. The Big Green ended 2009 with a 23-23 overall record, and a 13-7 mark in Ivy League Conference play, good for a first place finish in the north division. The Buzz Classic marks the team's first tournament of the season.
Dartmouth returns 13 letterwinners and nine starters from last year's squad, highlighted by senior infielder Alyssa Parker, who ended 2009 batting .328 with 45 hits and 24 RBIs. Sophomore pitcher Hillary Barker also returns, after going 8-13 with 78 strikeouts last year.
Liberty is 0-1 all-time against the Big Green, after losing a 1-0 decision at the USF Under Armour Classic on March 16, 2008. The two teams played seven complete scoreless innings until current Dartmouth senior Christy Austin connected on an infield single to allow fellow senior Kirsten Costello to score from third in the eighth inning.
Kennesaw State
The Lady Flames will face Kennesaw State at 4 p.m. on Friday. The Owls were 21-30 last season, finishing seventh in the Atlantic Sun Conference with a 7-13 mark.
Kennesaw State is 7-4 so far this season, posting wins over South Dakota State and Middle Tennessee State. The Owls return nine starters this year and welcome nine newcomers to the team. They are led by Jensen Hackett, who is batting .370 with 10 hits and six RBIs, and pitcher Jessica Cross, who is 4-1 on the year with a 1.24 ERA.
The Lady Flames are 2-1 all-time against the Owls, winning the last meeting, 7-0, on February 23, 2008. Current Liberty student assistant coach Dana Wheeler had one of her finer career performances in the circle for the Lady Flames, fanning 12 batters while giving up just one hit during seven innings of work. A pair of freshmen playing their first collegiate tournament helped Liberty at the plate, as Amber DePasquale (1-for-4, two runs) and Keely McMillon (1-for-3, two RBIs) helped the Lady Flames pick up their first win in 2008.
Akron
Liberty will face the Zips of Akron on Saturday at 11 a.m. Akron, currently 3-2 on the year, returns 12 letterwinners and six starters, including Monica Shorter, who leads the team with a .462 batting average. Pitcher Andrea Arney is 2-1 on the year with a 0.95 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 22 innings pitched.
The Lady Flames are 1-2 against the Zips, losing a 15-3 decision in the last meeting in 2003.
Rhode Island
Liberty's second game on Saturday comes against the Rams of Rhode Island at 4 p.m.
The Rams, who finished 2009 with a 14-37 record, are winless so far in 2010 (0-5). The team is led by Erika Szymanksi, who is batting .286 with two hits. The squad returns 16 letterwinners and eight starters.
Liberty is 2-1 against Rhode Island, taking a 14-1 decision in 2007. Senior J'nae Jefferson recorded her first collegiate home run during the game, starting an eight-run seventh inning with a grand slam.
Kentucky
The Lady Flames will conclude the Buzz Classic with a Sunday matchup against Kentucky at 9 a.m., a team who was ranked as high as No. 26 early this season.
The Wildcats are sitting on an 11-3 record this season, posting wins over No. 9 Arizona State, Florida Atlantic and Minnesota.
Kentucky is led by Natalie Smith, who is batting .359 with 14 hits and three RBIs. POitcher Rachel Riley is 3-1 on the year with a 0.88 ERA, while Chanda Bell is 6-1 with a 1.65 ERA and 81 strikeouts.
The Lady Flames are 0-3 all-time against Kentucky, and the Wildcats won the last matchup between the two squads, 3-1, in 2001.
Liberty will face Dartmouth and Kennesaw State on Friday at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, followed by Saturday matchups against Akron at 11 a.m. and Rhode Island at 4 p.m. The tournament will conclude with a 9 a.m. game against Kentucky on Sunday.
The Lady Flames are 3-2 on the year after a successful run in the USC Upstate Spartan Classic in Spartanburg, S.C., Feb 19-21.
The Lady Flames are led by Kaylee West, who is batting .500 on the year with five hits, four RBIs and a home run. Ashley Bensinger boasts a .400 batting average with four hits and four RBIs through five games.
Junior hurler Tiffani Smith leads the pitching staff with a 2-1 record and 20 strikeouts in 14 innings of work.
Scouting the Field at the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic
Dartmouth
Liberty opens the Buzz Classic against Dartmouth on Friday at 1 p.m. The Big Green ended 2009 with a 23-23 overall record, and a 13-7 mark in Ivy League Conference play, good for a first place finish in the north division. The Buzz Classic marks the team's first tournament of the season.
Dartmouth returns 13 letterwinners and nine starters from last year's squad, highlighted by senior infielder Alyssa Parker, who ended 2009 batting .328 with 45 hits and 24 RBIs. Sophomore pitcher Hillary Barker also returns, after going 8-13 with 78 strikeouts last year.
Liberty is 0-1 all-time against the Big Green, after losing a 1-0 decision at the USF Under Armour Classic on March 16, 2008. The two teams played seven complete scoreless innings until current Dartmouth senior Christy Austin connected on an infield single to allow fellow senior Kirsten Costello to score from third in the eighth inning.
Kennesaw State
The Lady Flames will face Kennesaw State at 4 p.m. on Friday. The Owls were 21-30 last season, finishing seventh in the Atlantic Sun Conference with a 7-13 mark.
Kennesaw State is 7-4 so far this season, posting wins over South Dakota State and Middle Tennessee State. The Owls return nine starters this year and welcome nine newcomers to the team. They are led by Jensen Hackett, who is batting .370 with 10 hits and six RBIs, and pitcher Jessica Cross, who is 4-1 on the year with a 1.24 ERA.
The Lady Flames are 2-1 all-time against the Owls, winning the last meeting, 7-0, on February 23, 2008. Current Liberty student assistant coach Dana Wheeler had one of her finer career performances in the circle for the Lady Flames, fanning 12 batters while giving up just one hit during seven innings of work. A pair of freshmen playing their first collegiate tournament helped Liberty at the plate, as Amber DePasquale (1-for-4, two runs) and Keely McMillon (1-for-3, two RBIs) helped the Lady Flames pick up their first win in 2008.
Akron
Liberty will face the Zips of Akron on Saturday at 11 a.m. Akron, currently 3-2 on the year, returns 12 letterwinners and six starters, including Monica Shorter, who leads the team with a .462 batting average. Pitcher Andrea Arney is 2-1 on the year with a 0.95 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 22 innings pitched.
The Lady Flames are 1-2 against the Zips, losing a 15-3 decision in the last meeting in 2003.
Rhode Island
Liberty's second game on Saturday comes against the Rams of Rhode Island at 4 p.m.
The Rams, who finished 2009 with a 14-37 record, are winless so far in 2010 (0-5). The team is led by Erika Szymanksi, who is batting .286 with two hits. The squad returns 16 letterwinners and eight starters.
Liberty is 2-1 against Rhode Island, taking a 14-1 decision in 2007. Senior J'nae Jefferson recorded her first collegiate home run during the game, starting an eight-run seventh inning with a grand slam.
Kentucky
The Lady Flames will conclude the Buzz Classic with a Sunday matchup against Kentucky at 9 a.m., a team who was ranked as high as No. 26 early this season.
The Wildcats are sitting on an 11-3 record this season, posting wins over No. 9 Arizona State, Florida Atlantic and Minnesota.
Kentucky is led by Natalie Smith, who is batting .359 with 14 hits and three RBIs. POitcher Rachel Riley is 3-1 on the year with a 0.88 ERA, while Chanda Bell is 6-1 with a 1.65 ERA and 81 strikeouts.
The Lady Flames are 0-3 all-time against Kentucky, and the Wildcats won the last matchup between the two squads, 3-1, in 2001.
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