KENNESAW, Ga. – Belmont Softball (12-3) will put its five-game win streak on the line this weekend as it concludes its Spring Break trip. The Bruins will travel to take on Mercer (15-6), Fort Wayne (8-13), Bucknell (7-7), and host-Kennesaw State (9-8) as part of the three-day Rafter Memorial Tournament.
KSU's Rafter Memorial Tournament Central
Mercer has lost three of its last five outings to now stand at 15-6 heading into this weekend's tournament. The Bears are led at the plate by Laurenne Sanchez, who is batting .355 with 22 hits and seven doubles.
Work inside the circle is helmed by Megan Bilgri, who has thrown 49.1 innings to the tune of a 2.55 ERA and a 5-3 record with 32 strikeouts. Lauren O'Dell has the corps' best ERA at 1.95 while Jill McElderry leads in strikeouts with a total of 46.
Mercer holds a narrow advantage in the all-time series, 17-12. Belmont won the last meeting between the programs, 13-12, in 10 innings at the Mercer Bear Classic.
KSU stands at one game above .500 after winning its last three contests. The Owls are 9-8 heading into their own Rafter Memorial Tournament. Kennesaw State is led at the plate by Olivia Tamewitz, who is batting .456 with 26 hits, five doubles, one triple and five RBI.
Work inside the circle is fairly even in distribution. Alley Cutting has thrown the most innings at 34.2 while Abby Deane sports the best ERA coming in at 1.83. Abigail Green has the most wins at three and the most strikeouts with a total of 33.
Kennesaw State leads in the all-time series, 11-4. The Owls won the last meeting between the programs one year ago in Nashville, 7-1.
Fort Wayne looks to get back on the winning side after dropping four of their last five outings before traveling to Georgia. The Mastodons stand at 8-13 overall. Maria Palmegiani and Morganne Denny lead FW at the plate, each batting .258. Palmegiani has recorded 17 hits, two doubles and six RBI while Denny has tallied 16 hits, with one double, one triple, two homeruns and seven RBI.
Inside the circle, Bailey Benefiel leads the pitching corps with a 1.82 ERA after throwing 65.1 innings and recording 53 strikeouts.
This marks the second tournament this season where the programs will face off. Belmont won both of the meetings in Nashville at the Belmont/TSU Winter Warmup.
Bucknell comes to Georgia looking to build on its recent wins, being victorious in three of its last four outings. The wins move the Bison to 7-7 on the season. Taylor Wolfgang leads BU at the plate, batting .314 with 11 hits, four doubles, one homerun and six RBI.
Raeanne Giffert has racked up the most wins inside the circle for the Bison, sporting a 3-2 record after 41.2 innings of work with 31 strikeouts for a 2.35 ERA.
This marks the first meeting between Belmont and Bucknell.
BU heads into this weekend's tournament after collecting a second consecutive shutout, defeating Chattanooga earlier this week, 3-0. The Bruins now stand at 12-3 on the season.
Belmont has eight batters hitting over .300 and two over .400 so far this season. Newcomer Taylor Hargrove (Greenbrier, Tenn.) leads Belmont at the plate, batting .435, with 10 hits, 10 runs scored, and one RBI while sophomore Bailey Sims (Flowery Branch, Ga.) right behind her batting .404 with 21 hits, three doubles and five RBI. Senior Jess Andree (Darien, Ill.) follows, hitting .362 with 17 hits, one triple, three homeruns and 10 RBI.
Inside the circle, sophomore Brooklin Lee (Burns, Tenn.) remains the Bruins' ace, tossing 60.2 innings, recording a whopping 77 strikeouts to the tune of a 1.04 ERA and a 7-1 record. Senior Lexi Rouse (Macon, Ga.) sports a 3-0 record and a 0.91 ERA after tossing 23.0 innings with seven strikeouts.
Several players have distinguished themselves in national statistical categories, led by Sims who is currently tied for first as the hardest to strike out among all NCAA Division I players. Also sporting impressive rankings are Lee, who is No. 7 in shutouts and 30th in strikeouts per seven innings; junior Hayley Baker (Rockwall, Texas) and Sims who are tied for 30th in sacrifice flies; Rouse who is No. 30 in ERA; and junior Chelsea Thomas (Hot Springs, Ark.) who is 32nd in doubles per game.
Friday's first game is set for 1:30 p.m. CT against Mercer and 4 p.m. CT is the approximate start time versus Kennesaw State. Live stats will be available for all contests during the three-day tournament.
