Emory Softball Eyes Opening Road Trip Of The Year

The Emory softball team, fresh off four wins this past weekend, prepares for its first road trip of the season when it plays in the Birmingham Southern Invitational.  Emory will play two games each against Greensboro College and host Birmingham Southern.  The schedule of Emory’s games is as follows.  All times listed are CST.

Saturday, Feb. 26
11:00 a.m. –  Emory vs. Greensboro
1:00 p.m. –  Emory vs. Birmingham Southern

Sunday, Feb. 27
10:00 a.m. – Emory vs. Greensboro
2:00 p.m.  – Emory vs. Birmingham Southern

 Emory looks to continue its hot-hitting ways after outscoring its four foes by a 37-3 count while posting a .409 vs. .186 advantage in hitting. Freshman designated player Megan Light earned UAA Player of the Week honors after hitting .667 with eight hits in 12 plate appearances.  She recorded a pair of hits in each contest and totaled a team-high nine RBIs.   Sophomore third baseman Dana Goodenough and junior left fielder Jessica Thomas also produced impressive offensive numbers with Goodenough hitting .500 (6-for-12) with five runs scored and three RBIs, and Thomas checking in with a .462 average (6-for-13) with a pair of doubles and five RBIs. 

While the Emory bats were in high gear, the Eagles received outstanding pitching performances from freshman Lena Brottman and junior Bridget Holloway.  The duo each won a pair of games and in the process upped their season records to 3-0.  Brottman tossed complete games in both her appearances and allowed just one hit in the 7-0 win over Maryville on Saturday.   In 14 total innings of work, she fanned 10 opponents and allowed just one earned run.  Holloway totaled eight frames of action, with her trips to the mound coming in a pair of five-inning Eagle wins,  and surrendered just two earned runs.

Both Birmingham Southern and Greensboro will be making their season debuts this weekend.  BSC head Coach Kimball Cassady is in her first year at the helm of the Panthers and welcomes back nine returnees from last year’s squad that finished with an overall won-lost slate of 25-9.  Key vets back in the fold for BSC include junior Ronni Ferris who hit .374 last year, while also compiling a 13-5 record on the mound, and sophomore Brittany Berkopec who finished with a .370 hitting mark.

Greensboro, picked to finish second in the USA South Preseason Poll, is led by second-year head coach Whitney Gelin who led the Pride to an overall record of 28-15-1 in 2010 that included a USA South championship and the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.  Greensboro returns its top three hitters from a year ago including junior Rebecca Pink who posted a fine .418 average.