Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Owls Hit Road For Final A-Sun Trip
4/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 11, 2005
Forget about the number three; 500 was the magic number for the FAU softball team last week as coach Joan Joyce picked up her 500th career victory and the Owls reached the .500 mark for the first time this season. This weekend sees the second-placed Owls (28-26, 8-2 A-Sun) embarking on their final Atlantic Sun Conference road trip when they head to Georgia to take on Mercer and Georgia State.
A rainy start to their North Carolina jaunt last weekend did not hamper the Owls as they won five of six games on the trip with their only loss coming at the hands of the UNC Tar Heels. After Saturday's opening day of the Tar Heel Invitational was washed out, the Owls handed Liberty a 5-4 loss on Sunday before falling 3-0 to the hosts in the championship game. Monday saw FAU sweep Campbell in Buies Creek with two one-run victories and Tuesday brought another sweep, this time against Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs.
Senior first baseman Pam Mazzarella went 8-for-18 (.444) with four doubles, three RBI and four walks on the trip. Sophomore Ashley Greene also had a fine time away from home, going 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in her three appearances.
Let's take a look at the Owls' opponents this week (all statistics and records as of April 11, 2005):
Mercer (21-25, 2-6 A-Sun) - Friday, April 15, 2005, 4 & 6 p.m. @ Macon, Ga.
The Bears, picked to finish fifth in both preseason polls, have not lived up to expectations this season and are off to a poor 2-6 start in conference play. After opening 2-2, they have been swept by Stetson and Jacksonville in their last two A-Sun doubleheaders and will face Georgia State on Tuesday. Offensively, Mercer is hitting a respectable .280 as a team and has three players hitting over .350 in Jamie Madruga (.362), Kristin Talamantes (.353) and Meghan Clark (.351). Clark leads the team in homers (12), RBI (40) and is fourth in the A-Sun in slugging percentage (.719). Number one starter Katie Rosentreter and her 1.25 ERA lead the pitching staff, but errors (76) and poor production from the number two starting pitcher (5-10, 3.74) have been the Bears' downfall.
All-time series: FAU leads 29-2.
Last meeting: FAU won 2-0 on 4/16/04.
Georgia State (15-27, 4-6 A-Sun) - Sunday, April 17, 2005, 1 & 3 p.m. @ Atlanta, Ga.
The Panthers are hitting only .226 as a team. They have only hit 10 home runs as a team and rank near the bottom of the A-Sun in every major offensive category. Lauren Morlock and her .300 average lead the team, while Candace Jones leads in RBI with 17. The lack of run support has had the most effect on number one pitcher Elizabeth Hyman. Despite having a superb 1.27 ERA, the junior has only an 11-14 record on the year.
All-time series: FAU leads 11-6.
Last meeting: FAU won 3-2 on 4/18/04.
Live statistics from all four games will be available via www.fausports.com.
NOTES: The Owls are 14-3 in their last 17 games decided by one run and have won 20 of their last 27 games.