Bulldogs play host to RMU and Quinnipiac

GAME INFORMATION
Bryant University (16-11, 6-0) vs. Robert Morris University (15-18, 6-2 NEC)
Saturday, April 9, 2011 – 1/3 p.m.
Bryant University vs. Quinnipiac University (19-15, 3-1 NEC)*as of 4/8/11
Sunday, April 10, 2011 – 12/2 p.m.
Smithfield, R.I. – Bryant Softball Complex
Live Stats I Webcast

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University softball team (16-11, 6-0 NEC) returns to NEC action this weekend with a pair of doubleheaders against Robert Morris and Quinnipiac University. The Bulldogs, winners of 14 of their last 15 outings, are currently riding an 11-game win streak after knocking off Holy Cross and Brown University ealier this week.

Scouting Bryant
The Bulldogs enter this weekend red-hot after winning eleven straight outings and 14 in their last 15. Bryant has started league play 6-0 for the first time in Division I history and has picked up signature non-league wins over UAlbany, Brown, Holy Cross, Yale and Harvard. The Black and Gold have exploded offensively as the season has progressed, posting 21 home runs through the first 27 games. Solid pitching and clutch hitting has led the Bulldogs to their strongest campaign since making the jump to the Division I ranks.

In the batters' box, Bryant has been led by freshman Aubrey Mable (Aurora, Colo.) who continues to pace the team in hits (27), batting average (.443), slugging percentage (.820), doubles (8), triples (3) and runs (20). Senior third baseman Regina Burdo (Wayne, Pa.) has pieced together one of her best campaigns for the Bulldogs, posting a .316 batting average after 27 games, including 10 RBIs and two home runs.

The Bulldogs success is due in large part to major contributions from the freshman class, as Kendall Corder (Carmichael, Calif.) leads the team with 18 RBIs and is second on the team with 4 home runs. While Lauren guy (La Habra, Calif.), Amy Weinberg (Pleasant Valley, N.Y.) and Taylor Bell (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) have combined for 19 RBIs, 10 extra base hits and 28 runs.

In the circle, the one-two punch of Samantha Houseal (Mount Joy, Pa.) and Brittany Hart (North Andover, Mass.) has continued to deliver for the Bulldogs, picking up a combined 15 wins in 24 starts.

Scouting the Colonials
Robert Morris enters today's doubleheader 15-18 and 6-2 in conference play, currently sitting tied for fourth in the latest NEC standings with Quinnipiac. Much like Bryant, RMU swept a pair of league doubleheaders last weekend over Wagner and defending conference champions Long Island University. The Colonials split a mid-week twinbill against Ken State and have won seven of their last outings. Picked to finish third in the coaches' preseason poll, the Colonials have been playing up to expectations, picking up signature non-league wins over James Madison, Toledo, and Delaware.

At the plate, RMU is led by junior outfielder Allie Patton, who has a generated a team-best .407 batting average, including 33 hits and eight RBIs through the first half of the season. The Colonials have three players with +.300 batting averages and racked up 42 extra bases hits as a lineup.

In the circle, the Colonials are paced by rookie southpaw Geena Badolato, as the Pennsylvania native has posted a team-low 2.72 ERA with seven wins in 14 starts. Badolato, a two-time NEC Rookie of the Week selection, has gotten support from senior Annie Dubovec, a NEC pitcher of the Week selection herself during the week of March 14, as the two have combined for nine wins and 13 complete games. In total, the RMU rotation has recorded 168 strikeouts and issued a mere 59 walks after 33 games.

The series
Today's doubleheader marks just the second meeting between both programs on the Division I level, as the Bulldogs split a twinbill in Moon township, Pa. on April 17, 2010. After dropping the first game, 2-1-, the visiting Bulldogs bounced back with an 8-inning 4-3 win over the Colonials in the late game. Then-rookie Brittany Hart picked up the W, her fourth of the season, as Brittany Lischinsky, Kate Murray, Lindsay Martin and Regina Burdo each recorded two hits in the one-run victory.

Scouting Quinnipiac
The Bobcats will enter Sunday's doubleheader having played Wagner on Saturday in Staten Island, N.Y. In its most recent outing, Quinnipiac lost at Fairfield, 6-1. Freshman Jordan Paolucci went 2-for-3 and drove in the Bobcats' only run, while second baseman Jacqueline Ristow scored Quinnipiac's run. In addition, freshman pitcher Katie Alfiere took her third loss of the year, as she pitched six innings for the Bobcats.

In the circle, junior pitcher Heather Schwartzburgled the softball team to a 12-win month. The junior hurler posted an 8-4 record with a 1.48 ERA. In 85 1/3 innings pitched Schwartzburg racked-up120 strikeouts. In nine of the 14 games she appeared in, including 12 starts, Schwartzburg had nine or more strikeouts including five in which she struck-out at least 11 batters. Her highest strikeout total of the month came against Boston University when she K'd 14 batters while holding the Terriers to one run on four hits in a complete game victory. She also recorded two saves for the month.

At the dish, freshman Jordan Paolucci leads the Bobcats with a .313 batting average, a .600 slugging percentage, and a .481 on base percentage. Paolucci also leads the team in runs scored (21), RBI (17), and home runs (6). Sophomore second baseman Jacqueline Ristow has contributed a team-high 33 hits, while third baseman Bridget Figmic has hit seven doubles on the year.

The series
The Bobcats lead the all-time series with Bryant, 3-1, dating back to the 2009 season. Last year, Quinnipiac swept the Bulldogs in a doubleheader at home, 1-0 and 6-1, on Saturday, April 3, 2010.