Lady Wildcats Host BSC

3/27/2017 11:45:00 AM

By: LC Sports Information

Just one day after completing their sixth straight three game series sweep, the Louisiana College Lady Wildcats softball team returns to action to take on their second Southern Athletic Association team of the season, the Birmingham-Southern College Panthers. The Wildcats are currently on a 19-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the NCAA Division III and has an opportunity to tie the LC school record for longest winning streak with a doubleheader sweep over BSC. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Wildcat Park.

Birmingham-Southern | 12-12 (6-7)

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The Panthers will begin a three day road trip with Monday's doubleheader against Louisiana College. After playing LC, the Panthers will then head to East Texas Baptist University for a Tuesday doubleheader, and end on Wednesday with the University of Texas at Tyler. Combine those game with the series they just completed against D-III #1 Berry College and the Panthers will have played seven straight games against NFCA Top 25 teams in six days. The Panthers dropped both games to Berry College over the weekend and are currently on a four game losing skid.

BSC will bring the best pitching staff that the Wildcats have seen this year into the doubleheader. They have a team earned run average of 2.25 on the season and sophomore Haley Crumpton leads the staff with a 1.52 ERA this year. She is 6-6 in 69.0 innings of work with 52 strikeouts and has only allowed 15 earned runs this season. Taylor Harkins, their other main pitcher, has a 2.43 ERA in 75.0 innings of work with 59 strikeouts and a 6-4 overall record.

The Panthers have four players batting over .300 and three of them are batting over .375 this season. Sophomore Abby Spencer leads the team with a .400 average with 28 hits and five RBI and has a .538 on-base percentage, thanks to her team high 19 walks. Savannah Lee is the big bat in the Panthers lineup, with a .377 average with includes a team high 12 home runs. Lee ranks second on the team in RBI behind Haley Crumpton's 30 on the year. As a team they are batting .287 this year, fourth in their conference.

Louisiana College | 23-2 (17-1)

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Fresh off a three game sweep of LeTourneau on Sunday afternoon, the Wildcats have a quick turnaround to take on BSC in another doubleheader. Savannah Settle was near unhittable against the Yellow Jackets, throwing 16.0 innings, allowing four earned runs, on eight hits, and striking out 30 batters in the series. She tied a career high with 13 strikeouts in the 2-1 game one victory and sat down 11 more in the series finale on Sunday. She leads the American Southwest Confernce in innings pitched (90.2), strikeouts (109), complete games (12), opponent batting average (.171), and is tied for first in wins (13). Settle anchors an LC staff that it first in the conference in ERA at 1.44, opponent batting average at .207, and the fewest runs allowed with 39.

The Wildcat offense ranks sixth in the conference in team batting with a .302 average and is led by freshman Shea Smith with a .394 average. She and Mattie Stine lead the team in almost every offensive category including hits, doubles, home runs, and RBIs. Leadoff batter Shelby Bergeron and two-hole hitter Sami Walters are both hitting over .340 this year adn lead the team with 25 and 24 runs scored respectively. They are also a combined 32-for-37 in stolen base attempts this season.

The first pitch of the doubleheader against BSC will be at 4 p.m. at Wildcat Park. You can follow the game with live stats via the stats portal on the lcwildcats.net homepage or watch the live stream at www.facebook.com/LCAthletics. Follow @LC_sftball on Twitter for in-game updates and the latest news on Louisiana College softball.

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