LOUISVILLE, Ky. – IUPUI softball will stay on the road, playing five games at Louisville in the Black & Red Classic this weekend. The Jags will play Maryland twice as well as UAB, Miami (Ohio) and a rematch against Eastern Illinois.
IUPUI (3-7) is coming off of a 2-1 win over UT-Martin that saw
Haley Ginger bring home two runs with two outs in the top of the seventh.
Megan Overton picked up her third win (3-1) of the season, striking out the last batter of the game with the bases loaded.
Overton has been solid for IUPUI early in the season and after a 2-1 week was named the
Horizon League Pitcher of the Week. For the season Overton has a 3-1 record with a 1.75 ERA, allowing just seven earned runs over 28 innings. Overton has also struck out 23 batters this season and is only allowing opposing hitters a .223 average.
Ginger has been the best hitter this season for head coach
Elisabeth Beirne with a .387 batting average and is tied with Addison Lorsung for the team lead in both doubles (3) and RBI (6).
Maddie Keeley is the leading run scorer for the Jags, crossing the plate five times this year and is a perfect 5-for-5 in stole base attempts. Keeley is also second on the team with a .333 batting average.
Mandy Dallas is the only Jaguar to leave the park this year, hitting a three-run home run against Evansville and is also hitting over .300 with a .304 clip.
LOUISVILLE BLACK & RED CLASSIC
March 2 – vs. Maryland – 10 a.m.
March 2 – vs. UAB – 12:30 p.m.
March 3 – vs. Maryland – 7:30 p.m.
March 4 – vs. Miami (Ohio) – 12:30 p.m.
March 4 - vs Eastern Illinois – 3 p.m.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
Maryland holds a 3-11 record on the season and has lost their last four games coming in to the matchup with IUPUI on Friday morning. The Terps are hitting .221 as a team this season but Brigette Nordberg is having a strong start to her season, hitting .395 with a team-high five doubles. Skylynne Eliazar and Jacqui Pascual both lead Maryland with six RBI.
In the circle, Ryan Denhart is 1-5 on the season but holds a 2.88 ERA. Teammate Sydney Golden is 2-5 on the season with a 4.36 ERA. The Terrapin pitchers have struggled with control, allowing 59 walks while striking out only 37 batters.
SCOUTING UAB
UAB is 6-9 on the season and went 3-2 at the Troy Classic last weekend, including a 6-2 win over Murray State its last time out. Madison Millsaps leads the team with a .419 batting average and 11 RBI. Analyse Petree is one of three other Blazers to hit over .300 and has a team-high three home runs. UAB has tried to run a bit this season but is only 7-for-14 on stolen base attempts this season.
Emily Kachel has started 10 of the 15 games UAB has played and holds a 4-3 record with a 2.07 ERA. Kachel has 37 strikeouts in 50.2 innings this season and has only allowed eight walks.
SCOUTING MIAMI (OHIO)
Miami is 3-6 on the year and will play three games in Louisville before taking on IUPUI. The RedHawks beat Lehigh 6-5 in a comeback win the last time on the diamond. Megan Wurts is the top hitter for Miami with a .391 average and Ashton Slone is the only other batter over .300 with a .318 clip. Wurts is tops on the team with two doubles and Slone is tied for the team lead with two others having driven in four runs.
Courtney Vierstra is the only pitcher on the Miami roster with a single digit ERA, sitting at 3.13 and holding a 3-3 record in her seven appearances. As a pitching staff, Miami is allowing opposing batters to hit .393.
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS
The Panthers are 12-3 on the year and swept all five games at the Frost Classic last weekend, including a 5-3 win over IUPUI. Eastern Illinois beat the Jags after a three-run pinch-hit home run by Kendyl McKeough broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth. Haley Mitchell is the best bat for the Panthers with a .400 average, five home runs and 22 RBI.
Michelle Rogers and Jessica Wireman are a combined 11-2 in the circle. Rogers holds a 2.07 ERA and Wireman has a 2.23 ERA. Wireman also has 58 strikeouts in just 44 innings pitched.
