Softball faces pair of CT foes this weekend

Softball faces pair of Connecticut foes this weekend

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SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Looking to match a previous season-high four-game winning streak, the Bryant University softball team travels to the Constitution State this weekend for a pair of Northeast Conference doubleheaders against Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac on Saturday, April 28, and Sunday, April 29, respectively.

The Bulldogs (16-21, 7-5 Northeast Conference) will be looking to extend their latest unbeaten streak after taking a 5-3 victory over Brown on Tuesday. Last weekend, the Bulldogs swept a conference doubleheader against visiting Monmouth at home on Saturday to move into fourth place in the NEC standings to account for their current three-game winning streak.

On Tuesday against Brown, Bryant sophomore Amy Weinberg (Deer Park, N.Y.) led all players with three hits and also drove in two runs and scored once in one of her most potent days at the plate this season. The first baseman drove in a run on an RBI double to tie the game in the bottom of the second before launching her first homer of the season – and second of her career – to lead off the bottom of a three-run fifth inning for the Bulldogs. Finally, she capped it off with a two-out double in the sixth to wrap up her strong offensive day.

Junior hurler Brittany Hart (North Andover, Mass.) won for the third game in a row for the home side, as the righty tossed a complete game, nine-hit outing while allowing three runs, no walks and striking out three to down the Bears.

Entering the weekend with an overall record of 19-30 and a 6-12 mark in league play, the Pioneers will be looking to move up from their current ninth-place spot in the conference standings with the regular season nearly completed. Earlier this week, Sacred Heart earned a 3-2 win over nearby rival Fairfield – a team that handed Bryant a 12-0 defeat earlier in the year at the Florida Rebel Games – while also edging Stony Brook, 8-7, on Wednesday.

Sophomore Jade Bowins has appeared in 44 games and bats a team-high .292 with 40 hits in 137 at-bats for the Pioneers. She has driven in nine runs on the year and has hit one triple. Behind her, freshman Kate Nadler owns a respectable .288 batting average on 38 hits with five doubles, two triples and three homers while totaling 25 RBI. Liz Tsipouras' 26 RBI rank most on the team, while Nicole Sidor's nine homers are the most on the squad, as well.

In the circle, Sidor has handled the bulk of the pitching duty, totaling 171.2 innings on the year while boasting a team-best 2.49 ERA and 168 strikeouts. After her, Taylor Lane's 4.43 ERA has come on 55.1 innings of action and 28 strikeouts, while Tsipouras has tossed 39.2 innings while sporting a 5.47 ERA.

Moving to Sunday, the Bulldogs will face the third-place Bobcats (26-15, 10-6 NEC) who enter the weekend on a three-game winning streak. Quinnipiac will only face Bryant this weekend after last sweeping America East foe Hartford in a doubleheader on Wednesday.

Junior Alex Alba leads the way offensively with a .355 batting average on 44 hits in 124 at-bats. She has driven in 22 RBI with the help of 13 doubles, one triple and five home runs. Also batting above .300 is senior Christy Cabrera, who owns a .328 average on 41 hits while also drawing a team-high 18 walks to boost her team-leading on-base percentage to .413.

The Bobcats boast one of the top hurlers in the conference in righty Heather Schwartzburg (16-5), as the senior owns a 1.56 ERA through 152.2 innings of action while totaling 168 strikeouts and 59 walks. Cabrera has also seen time in the circle, going 4-7 on the season with a 3.96 ERA in 65.1 innings.

For continuing coverage of Bryant University softball, check back online at www.bryantbulldogs.com; also be sure to follow the Bulldogs on Twitter @BryantAthletics.