April 9, 2009
RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech hosts 25th ranked Fresno State in a three-game Western Athletic Conference softball series this weekend at the Lady Techster Softball Complex.
The series starts with a 6 p.m. single game on Friday and a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday following the LA Tech T-Day Spring Game which kicks off at 1 p.m. at Joe Aillet Stadium.
The Lady Techsters and Bulldogs are joining forces Saturday to raise money for the local DART (Domestic Abuse Resistance Team) chapter as all proceeds from donations, raffles, silent auction and concessions will go towards fighting domestic abuse.
"This is a cause that I know both programs feel strongly about," said Tech head coach Sarah Dawson. "Our team has worked closely with the DART chapter as part of our community service, and this is something that we hope everyone will come out and support.
"It should be a great weekend for softball. Emma Barnes and our entire team have done a lot of work leading up to this weekend, and we hope our fans and the local community come out to help this great cause."
On the diamond, two of the top teams in the WAC will play an important series as LA Tech (20-16, 4-4) currently sits in fourth place in the standings while Fresno State (24-16, 6-3) is in second place.
The Bulldogs are led by sophomore hurler Morgan Melloh who boasts an 18-12 mark and a WAC-leading 1.55 earned run average. Melloh, who was named the WAC Pitcher of the Week, has struck out 308 batters in 212.1 innings of action this year while opponents are batting only .155 against her.
Offensively, Fresno State is led by Haley Perkins (.296, 40 hits, 5 SB), Caitlin Stiglich (.287, 5 HR, 27 RBI), and Michelle Moses (5 HR, 19 RBI).
LA Tech is led by the WAC's top hitter in junior Amberly Waits, who is sporting a .454 batting average along with nine doubles, 10 home runs and 39 RBI. Waits next home run will set the Lady Techster single season record.
In addition to Waits' production, Danielle Sheridan (.290, 1 HR, 11 RBI), Emma Barnes (.254, 24 runs, 10 RBI), Kylie Bassett (.240, 3 HR, 16 RBI) and Jessica Kirby (.239, 6 HR, 13 RBI) are contributing at the plate.
Tech will send Krissi Oliver (8-11, 3.01 ERA, 77 Ks) and Meghan Krieg (11-3, 1.69 ERA, 126 Ks) to the circle for the three-game series.
Fresno State leads the all-time series 22-3 although the two teams split four games last year with LA Tech defeating the Bulldogs in the WAC Tournament.
Fans for both programs can follow all the action this weekend via live stats on www.latechsports.com and can also watch the games streamed live over the Internet at www.latechtv.com by clicking on the athletics link in the top right hand portion of the screen starting one hour prior to the first pitch.
