SERIES PREVIEW: Dallas vs. Centenary College (3/14; DH) | (3/15; DH)
(Photo Graphic Courtesy of Hannah Miller)
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
Video (College TV Ticket)
Score update (inning-by-inning)
FIRST PITCH
The University of Dallas softball team (8-6, 1-1 SCAC), winners of five out of the last six, carry a four-game winning streak play in its first Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) home series on March 14-15.
Dallas looks to keep its season-long stretch alive as Centenary College of Louisiana (4-4, 1-3 SCAC) travels for the quartet of contests.
Saturday's doubleheader has already experienced a time change. Originally set for noon, field conditions from the weather will be determined that morning. Check on the University of Dallas schedule for up-to-date news.
The series will conclude Sunday with an 11 a.m. first pitch.
UD has won four in a row for the first time since Apr. 13-14, 2013 at Sarah Lawrence College.
LAST TIME OUT
The Lady Crusaders won five of six on their second longest road stint of the campaign. After splitting at Trinity to begin league play, Dallas participated in two days of a five-day tournament known as the South Carolina Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic.
With four games, each day at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., respectively, in Eastern Time, the Navy and White posted a sweep over each opponent. The scorching results began with a 12-2 decision over State University of New York Canton.
After falling behind 2-0 in the first inning, the Lady Crusaders got on the board in the second inning and would score in each of their team at-bats the rest of the way. UD piled a team-most, 12 runs off nine hits, taking its first lead in the third with a four-run frame.
Serving as the home team at the neutral venue, a five-run fifth closed out the squad's first five-inning, run ruled victory this year.
Dallas kept things rolling in the next contest, defeating La Roche College 5-4. On the second day, the Lady Crusaders wrapped things up with a pair of shutouts, 1-0 and 3-0 over Albertus Magnus College and Cazenovia College, respectively. Stats for all of those affairs will be available at a future time.
QUICK NOTES
(Stats through 3/10 vs. SUNY Canton)
Senior Ashley Pickert (Lenexa, Kan.) extended her hitting streak to three games in Tuesday's opener at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and increases her average to .423 in nine games. The infielder combined for six hits in eight at-bats last weekend at Trinity with a pair of Runs batted in and runs scored.
Freshman Madison Goforth (Tyler, Texas) boasted her third career three-hit performance versus SUNY Canton and increased her average to .371. The third baseman was dialed in against the Roos for her personal best three-RBI day. She reached base safely all four times, adding a walk, a stolen base, and hit 1.000 in the victory. Goforth crossed the dish three times as well.
Leading the Navy and White with her speed is sophomore Avery Finch (Jamul, Calif.) having stolen 13 bases in 14 attempts. The centerfielder has tallied a .361 clip and tied Goforth with a team-high 13 knocks.
Senior Taylor Garcia (Pflugerville, Texas) has hit safely in four-straight games, and in all but two affairs this year. She contributed three RBI to match Goforth in UD's latest outing with recorded statistics. Garcia holds 18 runs driven in for the team-high.
In the circle, sophomore Katie Lee (7-3), has started 10 games, and made 13 appearances. Through seven games logged, Lee has compiled 56 innings and a 2.57 ERA.
SCOUTING CENTENARY
The Ladies fell in a four-game series last weekend at Schreiner University. Centenary fell 10-2 and 7-6 on the first day, before edging SU 10-8 in the third contest. The Mountaineers claimed the series in an 11-6 final.
Centenary College closes what was originally a 10-game road trip. Rain shortened the stretch on Wednesday at Jarvis Christian College, and more changes could affect Saturday's matchups. The Maroon and White are 1-3 away from the home confines on a still young campaign.
Cadie Hancock paces Centenary offensively with 14 hits and RBI, and is slashing .519/.517/.778 in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. She is tied with Carissa Herndon with five doubles. Herndon is among four players over .400 with a .435 clip.
Morgan Daigle and Anna Dunn round out the quartet at .474 and .458, respectively. Dunn is second on the team with nine runs brought in for the Ladies.
Haley Miller, Laura Perilloux, and Melanie Wilson all have thrown in five games for Centenary. All of Perilloux's appearances have been starts. Miller holds a 2-1 record and team-highs with 18 innings and 10 strikeouts.
Centenary was selected seventh in the SCAC Preseason Poll, while University of Dallas was tabbed fourth.
SERIES HISTORY
The programs have met nine times total since 2013 when Centenary joined the league. UD holds a 4-5 record, with those wins coming in the last five attempts. Last season, the Lady Crusaders prevailed in a 3-1 series at Shreveport, Louisiana.
Prior to that, the span began in a 6-0 win in the SCAC tournament hosted at Crusader Field in 2013.
In the series at Centenary, the Navy and White earned 7-0 and 4-2 (nine-inning) victories in the first two contests. After the Lady Crusaders fell in game three of the series, 7-0, the road squad secured a 5-1 decision in the finale.
Lee compiled 18.2 innings, allowing six hits, a run, six walks, and 13 punch outs. Seven of her batters fanned occurred in the shutout opener.
Finch totaled eight hits over the weekend, while sophomore Lyda Tesauro (Hollywood, Fla.) notched base knocks in each contest. The first twinbill the outfielder ripped three-hit performances in each.
Centenary returns Lizzie Moran, Abbie Woods, Hancock, and Perilloux to this roster that appeared in that series on the diamond.
UP NEXT
Dallas stays in SCAC play with another four games at Crusader Field on March 21-22. The season-long, eight-game home stand will conclude with Austin College. Both start times of the twinbills on each day are at 12 p.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA
UD Twitter: @UDallasSports
Softball Twitter: @UDallasSoftball
Facebook: University of Dallas Athletics