Charlotte: This was kind of a chaotic weekend everywhere else, but Charlotte took care of business going up to Philadelphia and sweeping La Salle in a Saturday doubleheader. The 49ers bounced back from an early 1-0 deficit and they were in control the rest of the way. Katy Hackett continued her strong pitching in the circle and the 49ers played great defense behind her. Hackett picked up the win in game 1 and relieved Katie Watkins in game 2 to record the save. The performance of Watkins lately has cut down on Hackett's innings and it is making her a much more effective pitcher. The Charlotte offense was doing well all weekend what more can you say about Briana Gwaltney and Tenaya Tucker they are in a zone at the plate right now. However it is not just the "Bri and T show" as all of the 49ers got in on the action this weekend, as the offense put up 24 hits over the 2 games. Lorena Vela and Nikki Gayle both had solid days at the plate and if these two are hitting well this Charlotte lineup is dangerous 1-9. The 49ers will need to build on this momentum as they head back to Philadelphia for the 2nd straight weekend (another questionable scheduling move by the A10 anyone?) and they will need to be ready to play as they will be going up against the two Philly schools who are currently tied for 2nd in the A10.
Dayton: The Flyers made the ball fly out of the ballpark once again this Sunday going yard 4 times. The Flyers were led by Lauren Nacke on offense, as she continued to slam the ball at the plate racking up 5 hits including 2 HR and 5 RBI. Nacke has been a bit overlooked with all of the power hitters that the A10 has had the past few years, but it is time for Nacke to get her due. She had some help from her teammates Alysha Isaacson and Courtney Kutsulis who also went yard on the day. Rachel Archer also get herself back on track against St. Bonaventure and when she gets things going at the top of the order she gives Dayton a whole new dimension at the top of the order. In the circle, Isaacson is doing a very good job right now of keeping teams off balance by mixing speeds. She has been the most effective pitcher for the Flyers and she will be more effective if Amanda Daly and Sarah Wedel can help her out by taking some innings off of Isaacson's shoulders. Dayton needs to pick up a sweep this weekend against St. Louis to get themselves back in the top 6 of the standings.
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| Alysha Isaacson |
Fordham: The Rams may have split the two games on the field, but they did not take much good momentum out of those games. On Saturday, the Rams watched their ace and All-American pitcher Jen Mineau get slammed around by Temple and then on Sunday the Rams offense struggled to push across a run against Erin Gallagher. Right now, I think the Rams biggest problem is their mentality right now. They are letting their opponents be the aggressors and that has to change. The Rams were the aggressors all last year, but this year they seem to be back on their heels. Jocelyn Dearborn has been a force once again at the plate, but she needs help and I think Coach Orchard needs to move her out of the leadoff role. She is the most powerful hitter that Fordham has and they need her up in run producing situations. I think Samantha Pellechio is a much better fit in that role and I think a switch with Dearborn could pay immediate dividends. Fordham will have a big test this week when Hofstra comes to the Bronx and it is a great opportunity for both the Rams and the A10 to make a statement.
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| Chelsea Lenhart |
George Washington: The Colonials feel good start came to a rather abrupt end as they got swept this weekend at home against St. Joseph's and Temple. A week after finding themselves at the top of the conference, George Washington now sits in the bottom half. There were a few bright spots one of which was the return of Kara Clauss to the circle. Clauss has been missed in the circle and in her return all she did was go out and throw a one hitter. George Washington is going to need big contributions from her for the rest of the season as the Colonials brace for a stretch run. Both Penna and Clauss did a nice job in the circle on Sunday, but George Washington was not able to give them any run support. Chelsea Lenhart continues to be a force at the plate, but the production around her has been off and on. Some good signs this weekend were Julie Orlandi's HR and the hits that Tara Fogarty, Lauren Wilson, and Katie Terrazas put up, but they are going to need more offense. George Washington is going to have a tall task in front of them the next two weekends and they could be back on track if they could steal one or two games.
La Salle: Things just aren't looking good for La Salle right now any way you slice it. The Explorers are struggling at the plate, in the circle and on defense. La Salle doesn't have as many wins as Rhode Island, but they are outperforming the Rams statistically speaking for whatever that's worth. DJ Guinn and Ali Shepherd have been the leaders of this squad, but right now it appears that they just don't quite have the depth to compete with the rest of the A10.
UMass: After two of the worst weekends for UMass ever in A10 play, the Minutewomen bounced back and swept St. Louis in a Sunday doubleheader. It all started in the circle where Sara Plourde was literally unhittable all week long and she continued it today. Plourde dominated the Billiken hitters and she did not allow a hit today in 8 2/3 innings with 19 SO. If Plourde can continue to pitch this way UMass may be the favorite in the A10. Caroline Raymond is playing an important role in Plourde's re-emergence as she is giving Coach Sortino quality innings and she is giving opponents a very different look. Now UMass' strength in the circle has been combined with increased offensive production. Kyllie Magill, Lindsey Webster, and Audrey Boutin have gotten this offense going and they are scoring runs. The Minutewomen do not have the flashy offense that they have had in the past, but they are getting the job done.
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| Sara Plourde |
Rhode Island: Much like La Salle things just aren't going well for the Rams. Rhode Island was swept by St. Louis this weekend in two games that ended with identical 7-0 scores, then to close out a tough weekend the Rams were swept by Fairfield on Sunday. Nicole Massoni is doing a nice job at the plate and she has continued to be a powerful bat in the Rhode Island lineup. Freshmen Jocelyn Mattison and Shelby Marquis are also hitting the ball okay, but the Rams need more production at the plate. In the circle, things do not look much better as none of the URI pitchers have been able to keep teams off the board. Hopefully the Rams can get some momentum moving forward.
St. Bonaventure: Well the Bonnies are hitting the ball well right now, unfortunately Sherri Thompson is not there to shut down hitters at the plate. The Bonnies slammed the ball against Dayton putting up 16 runs over the course of the two games, unfortunately the Flyers put up 19 and the two teams came away with a split. Maureen Wells has been an absolute force at the plate as of late and she continued that with an impressive day on Sunday, which saw her go 4-7 with a HR and 7 RBI. Brooke Frey, Kara Morenus, and Jessenia Andujar also swung the bat well on the day, but the Bonnies just could not keep the Flyers off the board. The Bonnies hit 5 HR and the Flyers hit 4. St. Bonaventure just could not hold the Flyers down in the second game. Jen Sansano did a nice job after being roughed up early on in game 1 to she down the Flyers the rest of the way, but I think she way just out of gas in game 2. I am not sure the freshman is ready to be throwing back to back games of a doubleheader right now. The Bonnies have another big weekend coming up and they cannot afford to lose any ground as their schedule gets tougher and tougher.
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| Erin Gallagher |
St. Joseph's: Is this the year of Philly in A10 softball? The Hawks and Owls have been two of the top teams thus far and this weekend was no exception. For St. Joseph's it always starts in the circle and Erin Gallagher was amazing going 3-1 on the weekend allowing just 1 ER on the weekend (which came without a single hit). Right now Gallagher is in a zone and the Hawks need to keep scoring runs for her. While Gallagher was amazing this weekend, Taryn Ashway was on point as well throwing 5 scoreless innings. If Ashway can keep pitching like this it will make Gallagher that much better. On offense, the Hawks scrap and battle for every run and this weekend all they needed was 1 run in order to win. The Hawks may have struggled on offense today against Fordham, but they got production from the bottom of the order in Taylor Korpita and Alana Loguidice. The top of St. Joe's order is so productive and anything that the bottom of the order can produce goes a long way. First place could be on the line when Charlotte comes to town this weekend.
St. Louis: The Billikens traveled up north this weekend to go up against Rhode Island and UMass. Friday and Saturday went very well for St. Louis, but Sunday did not go so well for the Billikens. Against URI, St. Louis got two shutout performances from Kelcie Matesa and Hannah Huebbe and the offense put up 7 runs for them in each game. Everyone was hitting for the Rams in Kingston led by solid performances by Jessica Buschjost and Jessica Van Nostrand. Then the Billikens came to Amherst to face a UMass team that had been stumbling through conference play and ran into the hottest pitcher in the country (If Plourde does not win NFCA or USA Softball Player of the week something is seriously wrong there). Plourde dominated this squad in every inning she threw not allowing a single hit. St. Louis still had a great shot in game 2, when Plourde was not pitching, going up 3-2 in the 3rd. Kristain Burger and Jessica Van Nostrand had clutch hits to put the Billikens on top, but St. Louis could not hold that lead. UMass immediately tied the game in the bottom of the inning before going on to win the game in the bottom of the 7th. St. Louis just needs to put this weekend behind them and prepare to go all out against Dayton this weekend.
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| Ali Robinson |
Temple: The Owls are not going away this year, in the past this team has either started slow or faded down the stretch, but it does not look like that is going to happen this time. In the circle, Kristen Marris is throwing as well as anyone else in the conference right now and Owls are playing very well when she is pitching. This team is fighting and scrapping and right now they are looking as good as any team in the A10. This is the best hitting team right now in the A10 and they have been scoring against every pitcher in the A10. The Owls were all over Jen Mineau this weekend when Temple went down to the Bronx and that more than anything is going to give this squad great momentum moving forward. Marris is also tearing it up for Temple at the plate and she is doing a nice job setting a good tone for the entire team. The Owls are doing the one thing that every coach strives for: hitting production from spots 1-9. Ali Robinson hit 3 HR on the weekend and she has heated up since starting A10 play. Temple is playing with the confidence to win the A10, but can they actually do it? We shall see
