Softball | 3/29/2013 3:01:00 PM
TIME TO GET STARTED
The Hornets play host to Lincoln in the start of the final stretch of games that will see Emporia State play only double headers the rest of the way.
THE?COACH
Julie LeMaire is 61-19 in her second season at Emporia State. She was named MIAA Coach of the Year after going 20-0 in the MIAA last season. She is 153-96 in her fifth season as a head coach. She came to ESU after three years at Ft. Hays State and took the Tigers to the MIAA Tournament Championship game last season.
LAST AT BAT
The Emporia State softball team ran its winning streak against Washburn to 29 games with a double header sweep of the Lady Blues on Thursday in Topeka. The Hornets won game one 5-1 and took a 9-4 decision in game two.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State has won nine of their last ten games to improve to 19-8 on the season. They have won six straight conference games to improve to 6-2 in the MIAA. Cacy Williams is batting a team best .421 with eight home runs and 29 RBI. Stephanie Goodwin is hitting .390 with a team best ten home runs and 31 RBI. Taylor Zordel is hitting .372 with a team best 31 runs. Andrea Piezuch leads the MIAA in doubles while Williams is in second in the league. Karley Schmelzer is 12-4 with a 2.42 ERA and 90 strike outs in 95.1 innings pitched. MIAA Pitcher of the Week Lauren Sharp is 6-4 with a 2.91 ERA and has won five straight decisions.
SCOUTING THE BLUE TIGERS
Lincoln is 9-6-1 overall and 1-1 in the MIAA entering Friday's games at Washburn. Clair Lorenz is batting .357 with four home runs and is 7-1 with 58 strike outs in the circle. Sam Kircher is batting a team best .420 for the Blue Tigers. They are 3-1 at home, have gone 3-2-1 in neutral site games and are 3-3 on the road entering Friday's action.
SERIES HISTORY
The Hornets have never lost to Lincoln and lead the all-time series 18-0 after winning a neutral site game earlier this year in St. Joseph, Mo.
LAST TIME VS. LINCOLN
The Hornets defeated Lincoln 4-2 in St. Joseph, Mo. in a game set up to fill the void left by the cancellation of Missouri Western's full tournament. Emporia State opened the day getting an RBI double from Cacy Williams in the second inning and went up 3-0 on an RBI single from Stephanie Goodwin and RBI double by Tricia Vogel in the third. They finished their scoring in the fifth when Bradie Schmelzer led off with a double and scored on Taylor Zordel's triple. That was more than enough for a Hornet pitching staff that saw their string of consecutive scoreless innings reach 27.1 innings before the Blue Tigers scored a pair of runs with two outs in the sixth. Lauren Sharp went the distance to get the win allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits with four strike outs and no walks. Zordel was two for three with a run scored, an RBI and a triple.
UP NEXT
The Hornets travel to Central Missouri on Tuesday, April 2 before returning to the Trusler Sports Complex for six straight games. First pitch of the double header against the Jennies is set for 4 p.m. in Warrensburg, Mo.
