Pineville, La. – For the second time this season, Louisiana College will host a doubleheader between the top two softball teams in the country.

No, this is not a rematch with Texas-Tyler, which will happen next Thursday for the Lady Wildcats. It is a series with East Texas Baptist University, who have already swept a double-header with Texas-Tyler to leap-frog them into the #2 spot in the country this week. ETBU will come here looking to do the same to LC, who held the top spot in the nation for the fifth week in a row.

“They have solid pitching and they play good defense, so runs are going to be at a minimum,” said head coach Tim Whitman of why ETBU has been so successful. “They're not going to just score a ton of runs on you, but they don't give you a lot of extra runs. We're going to have to take opportunities when we get them and score.”

Louisiana College defeated ETBU 10-1 in the only meeting so far between the teams this season. Rene' Schwartzenburg shut down the ETBU lineup as LC won the NCAA Division 3 Leadoff Tournament.

“Our pitchers handled their batters very well, and our pitching has only gotten better since then,” said left fielder and senior Allison Frye. “It's going be a battle of pitchers, but I think our lineup is better than theirs.”

The LC lineup will need to be great because they will be facing star pitchers Alicia Wright and Ayrika Henderson, neither of whom threw for the Tigers in the first meeting.

Henderson, who was a first team All American last season, has posted a 14-2 record with a 1.38 ERA, while Wright is 12-1 and has allowed an average of just over two earned runs.

“Both of those pitchers are so dominant and they have really good curveballs,” said Montagnino. “I compare Henderson to (Stacy) Shepherd from UT-Tyler. They can place the ball well, and have really good movement, so it's going to be us making adjustments in the game and hitting the ball and making them work.”

“We beat them in Panama, but I think both teams have improved since then. That was the beginning of the season. We aren't the same team we were back then, and they aren't the same team they were back then,” added the senior centerfielder.

Frye and Montagnino are two of the five seniors who will be honored on Saturday as they play their last regular season game at Louisiana College. The two outfielders will join infielders Ashleigh Clement, Aimee Dubroc, and Mary Alice Roy.

“I think it's kind of bittersweet,” said Montagnino “It's exciting to play the number two team in the nation but its sad because it's our last game here. It's going to be emotional.”

“They've put a lot of blood sweat and tears on the field, and for them to play their last home games for these kids that have played here and had a lot of success for our program, it's a big day for them,” said Coach Whitman. “You probably wouldn't want it any other way than to play ETBU in a game that matters and to lay it on the line.”

While it is the last home contest of the regular season for LC, this matchup is the beginning of a difficult stretch to end the season for LC, who will play home and away series against ETBU sandwiching the trip to Tyler, Texas to play the Patriots, now number three in the country.