NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State softball team will spend its second-straight weekend in the state of Florida as the Spartans take on Florida A&M Saturday and Sunday at the Lady Rattler Softball Complex.
The teams will square off Saturday at 1 p.m. for a doubleheader, then complete the series with a single game Sunday at noon. NSU (7-16 overall, 0-3 MEAC) traveled down to Daytona Beach last week to face Bethune-Cookman in the Spartans' first road games of the season.
The Rattlers (17-18, 0-0 MEAC) made the drive up to North Carolina to take on NC Central last weekend and have played just one home game since the beginning of March. This weekend's games will mark the first official conference games of the year for FAMU.
Florida A&M won two of three last season in Norfolk, winning 6-1 and 12-0 after the Spartans won the first game of the series, 6-5, when Jamie Raab hit a bases-loaded single with one out in the bottom of the seventh to score the winning run.
About Florida A&M: The Rattlers have been a somewhat streaky team this year, posting a pair of four-game win streaks but also dropping five in a row at one point and then six of seven later on in the season. FAMU is currently riding a streak of four wins in its past five games, including a three-game sweep of North Carolina Central last weekend.
The Rattlers have six players hitting above .300, but FAMU also has six players who are below .235 with at least 30 at bats. At the top of the lineup, a good portion of the offense has come from Tera Ganer (.360, five home runs, 24 RBI) and Whitney Robinson (.319, five home runs, 29 RBI). Tenisha Dixon has scored a team-leading 30 runs to go along with a .346 batting average, three home runs and 13 RBI.
Jasmine Donaldson (.366, 22 runs, 11 RBI, 10 stolen bases), Frances Singletary (.321, 13 RBI, 12 runs) and Erika Garcia (.244, 15 runs, 15 RBI) also add to the offensive punch. Robinson and Jenn Lindsey have combined to pitch 207.0 of the 221.2 innings this year with 33 of the team's 35 starts. Lindsey owns a 7-8 record with a 3.21 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 104.2 innings. Robinson stands 9-10 overall on a 4.45 ERA, allowing 131 hits in 102.1 innings.
Scouting the Spartans: After winning four of five, NSU dropped its last three games to Bethune-Cookman last weekend in the first road games of the season for the Spartans. NSU opened the 2011 campaign with its first 20 games at home.
Morgan Boyd went 4-for-6 last weekend and has gone 9-for-16 in her last six games to raise her average up to .288 after hitting as low as .148 this season. She ranks fifth on the team in hitting, with Jeanette Sauceda leading the way with a .400 average, six doubles and 10 RBI. Danielle Wright leads the team in runs (15), home runs (4), RBI (15) and stolen bases (14) while hitting .329.
Also hitting above the .300 plateau are catcher Kathy Cortez (.338, 14 runs, seven RBI) and third baseman Whitney Holland (.313, one homer, 10 RBI). In the circle, Casey Pomeroy continues to lead the Spartans, posting a 3.24 ERA and a 3-4 record, striking out 35 in 49.2 innings. Elizabeth Castaneda owns a 3.44 ERA in eight relief appearances, and freshman Jamie Schulle has started nine games with a 5.03 earned run average.
Last Time Out: Bethune-Cookman came away with a weekend sweep of the Spartans, winning 7-1 and 2-1 on Saturday before downing the Spartans by an 11-5 score on Sunday.
The Wildcats put up a five-run third inning in the first game and held the Spartans to just six hits in the 7-1 victory, and then a pitcher's duel ensued in Game 2. Allison Garcia knocked home both runs for B-CU in the 2-1 win. NSU scored four runs in the top of the third inning in the third game to take an early lead, but the Wildcats scored six in the bottom half of the inning and five more in the fifth for the victory.
Early MEAC Southern Division Standings: Bethune-Cookman sits atop the standings after its 3-0 weekend against the Spartans, while South Carolina State took two of three from North Carolina A&T last weekend in both of those teams' MEAC opening games. FAMU has yet to play an official conference game.
In the Northern Division, Morgan State and Hampton both went 2-1 last weekend against Coppin State and UMES, respectively, while Delaware State and Howard split a pair of games.
MEAC Leaderboard: Jeanette Sauceda, one of five players in the league hitting .400 or better, ranks fifth overall in batting average at exactly .400. Kathy Cortez sits tied for fourth with five sacrifice bunts, and Danielle Wright ranks tied for second in stolen bases with 14 and tied for fifth in home runs with four.
In the circle, Casey Pomeroy stands fourth in opponent batting average (.251) as well as strikeouts per game (4.93). She also sits just outside the top five in ERA at 3.24.
Up Next: NSU will host Longwood Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the NSU Softball Field before welcoming South Carolina State next weekend for a three-game set.
