Live Stats
 
INDIANAPOLIS – After having two weeks off from competition, the IUPUI softball team is heading to Riverside, Calif., for the UC Riverside Tournament March 8-10.   
 
The Jaguars were scheduled to play in a tournament at the University of Evansville last weekend, but it was cancelled due to cold weather. 

The Jaguars open the three-day tournament on Friday, March 8, against Southern Utah at 2:30 p.m. ET, before facing tournament host UC Riverside at 5 p.m. ET. On Saturday, March 3, the Jags will take on Buffalo at 12 p.m. ET, and conclude the tournament on Sunday with another game against Buffalo at 12 p.m. 

With two weeks off, the Jags were able to rest and work out some of its kinks. Head coach Amanda Rivera says the break was a blessing in disguise.
 
“It gave us time to heal up and get ready because after this week, it’s go time with Summit League,” Rivera said. “And with mid-terms, it allowed the kids to focus on schoolwork.”

Currently the Jags have three players in the starting lineup hitting over .300: Jessica Lam (.368), Lindsey Richards (.333) and Eryn Dillon (.306). However, others in the lineup have streaked as of late. Ali Mosier collected three of her seven hits in the Jags’ last tournament in Nashville, Tenn., raising her average 34 points (.194). Kelsey Rupert was an impressive 6-for-14 at the Tennessee State Invitational, earning a spot on the TSU Invitational All-Tournament Team and raising her average 83 points (.244).
 
Nikki Thomas has stepped up in the circle, dropping her ERA nearly two points to 3.77. In her last two appearances, Thomas notched her first complete game of the season against Butler. She allowed only one hit and struck out seven. In her second appearance at the TSU Invitational, Thomas went for six innings against Tennessee State, allowing only two earned runs and striking out six in the loss.

Going into this weekend, Southern Utah is 3-12. It snapped a seven-game losing streak on March 3 when it defeated Nevada 9-5. The Thunderbirds’ offense is hitting only .208 as a team. Kelsey Bryant (.354) and Mikkel Griffin (.333) head the offense as the only two SUU players hitting over .300. Combined, Bryant and Griffin account for four of the team’s eight homeruns.
 
UC Riverside is 7-12 overall. The Highlanders have dropped their last two games to Portland State and Boston University. Dionne Anderson (.300) is the lone Highlander hitting at or above .300. Alyssa Razo leads UC-Riverside in the circle with a 3.50 ERA.  Razo is 5-6 in her 14 appearances, recording a team-high 24 strikeouts. 
 
Buffalo has dropped its last five games, dropping them to 2-9 overall. The Bulls are hitting only .178 as a team, while opponents are hitting .303. Dani Cowan (0-4) holds the pitching staff’s lowest ERA a 4.83. Cowan has allowed 17 earned runs in her 31.2 innings pitched, struck out 18 and walked 15. 

Live Stats will be available for all of this weekend’s game.  It can be accessed on the UC Riverside live stats page, here.