Feb. 25, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

IRVING, Texas - No. 16/20 Houston moved to 14-0 Sunday after defeating Texas State, 4-0, to conclude play at the Houston Marriott Classic. The Cougars swept their second-straight tournament and outscored their opponents 28-4 in five games. The 14 consecutive wins are a program record.

RECENT RESULTS
Sunday, February 24
^Cal Poly 5, UAB 2
&UCF 2, Drake 1
*Mississippi Valley St. 5, Southern Miss 3 (9 inn.)
Texas-San Antonio 5, UTEP 0
$Memphis 16, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 2
@Houston 4, Texas State 0
%Tulsa 3, Central Arkansas 0
!Penn State 9, East Carolina 3
&No. 12 Michigan 6, UCF 1 (8 inn.)
*No. 20 Louisiana-Lafayette 3, Southern Miss 2 (11 inn.)
!East Carolina 8, Appalachian State 2
%Tulsa 8, Eastern Illinois 0 (5 inn.)

Saturday, February 23
#Marshall 6, San Diego 4
*Southern Miss 5, Mississippi Valley St. 0
^UAB 9, Santa Clara 1
$Memphis 3, SEMO 1
&UCF 10, George Mason 1 (6 inn.)
#Marshall 12, UC-Riverside 1
*No. 20 Louisiana-Lafayette 4, Southern Miss 1
!East Carolina 4, Syracuse 3 (8 inn.)
%Tulsa 8, Valparaiso 5
$Memphis 6, Alabama A&M 0
!Purdue 3, East Carolina 2 (8 inn.)
UTEP 6, Texas-San Antonio 0
UTEP 8, Texas-San Antonio 4
@No. 16/20Houston 7, Kansas 3
@No. 16/20Houston 7, Centenary 1

Friday, February 22
^Sacramento State 15, UAB 8
#Marshall 4, Nevada 2
^California 10 UAB 2 (6 inn.)
&Auburn 1, UCF 0
$Morehead State 2, Memphis 1
@No.16/20 Houston 3, Cal St. Northridge 1
@No. 16/20 Houston 8, Boston 0
&UCF 5, Birmingham-Southern 0

Wednesday, February 20
Southern Miss 10, Jackson State 2 (5 inn.)
Southern Miss 10, Jackson State 2 (5 inn.)
UCF 6, Stetson 0
New Mexico State 7, UTEP 3

Tuesday, February 19
Kennesaw State 5, UAB 2
UAB 5, Kennesaw State 2

RECENT GAMES KEY
! - Pirate Classic, Greenville, NC
@ - Marriott Houston Classic, Houston, TX
# - USD Tournament, San Diego, CA
$ - Blues City Classic, Southhaven, MS
% - Holiday Inn Select-Tulsa Festival, Tulsa, OK
^ - Mustang Classic, San Luis Obispo, CA
& - UCF Tournament, Orlando, FL
* - Louisiana Classic, Lafayette, LA

ON THE WEB
For the latest Conference USA softball game recaps, scores, standings, stats and notes, please log on to the league's official website: www.ConferenceUSA.com

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (2/25)
HITTER OF THE WEEK
LAUREN LINDSAY - Tulsa
RF, So., Edmond, Okla. (Carl Albert)
Lindsay posted a .667 (6-for-9) batting average last weekend to go along with a 1.444 slugging percentage. For her efforts, the sophomore was named the Holiday Inn Select-Tulsa Festival Outstanding Hitter. Lindsay posted the most RBI in the tournament with seven and total bases with 13. She finished among the top four hitters in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. The Edmond, Okla., native went 3-for-3 with four RBI in TU's run-rule win over Eastern Illinois on Sunday and hit at least one double in all three games of the tournament. Lindsay raised her batting average 79 points in the three games and also extended her hitting streak to seven games. For the weekend, the right fielder tallied four doubles, three runs scored and one home run. The weekly honor is the first of Lindsay's career.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
JORDAN KINARD - Tulsa
P, Fr., Sand Springs, Okla. (Mannford)
Kinard was named the Holiday Inn Select-Tulsa Festival Outstanding Pitcher after posting a near-record 15 strikeouts against Central Arkansas on Sunday. Her total is the second most in C-USA and school history. The complete game two-hit victory was the first of her college career and the first time she had tossed all seven innings. The freshman struck out the side in the first, third and sixth innings and also picked up three K's in the seventh inning. She posted five called third strikes in the contest. Kinard did not allow a runner past first base until the seventh inning, which was the result of a throwing error in the infield. This is Kinard's first career weekly honor.

DIAMOND STARS
Each week, teams have individuals who shine both at the plate and in the circle and this is where those efforts will be highlighted throughout the season.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES AT THE PLATE (2/19 - 2/24)
CHARINA SUMNER - East Carolina
Sumner hit .400 (6-for-15) last week for the Pirates. She hit safely in all four games and had two multiple hit games. She added three stolen bases.

LEAH WAGNER - Houston
Wagner hit .500 (5-for-10) with two home runs to help the Cougars run their record to a program best 14-0. She is slugging .969 on the season.

Rachel Folden - Marshall
Folden, an All-American, led the Herd by hitting .500 (5-for-10) last weekend. Her three doubles increased her season total to 10 and she has seven RBI on the season.

LEILA DOLFO - Memphis
Dolfo went 6-for-13 (.462) and was named to the All-Tournament team after hitting four home runs, with seven RBI. She registered a slugging percentage of 1.462.

ANDREA ROGERS - UAB
Rogers hit .562 (9-for-16) last weekend with four RBI and eight runs scored for the Blazers. She also tallied one double and walked four times.

JENNIFER FOX - Southern Miss
Fox was named to her second All-Tournament team after hitting .412 (7-for-17) last weekend. She had five RBI and only struck out once, while walking four times.

MARQUITA COUNCIL - UCF
Council hit .444 (8-for-18) with eight hits and five runs scored last week for the Knights. She recorded at least one hit in all six games.

AMBER BENNETT - UTEP
Bennett hit .357 (5-for-14) over the weekend, tallying two runs on five hits with four doubles and two RBI. She also walked twice.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES IN THE CIRCLE (2/19 - 2/24)
BROOKE SWANN - East Carolina
Swann went 2-1 while pitching her fifth and sixth complete games. She recorded 11 strikeouts and is now 6-2 on the season.

ANGEL SHAMBLIN - Houston
Shamblin moved to 7-0 with three wins last weekend. She pitched three complete games, allowing 11 hits and just four runs, while striking out 24 batters.

CAITLYN JACKSON - Marshall
Jackson had two solid outings for the Herd, pitching 10 innings and earning two victories. She had a 1.40 ERA on the weekend.

JANELLE VALLE - Memphis
Valle was named to the Blues City Classic All-Tournament team after going 1-1. She led the team with a 1.00 ERA in 14 innings of work and eight strikeouts.

LANA VAUGHN - Southern Miss
Vaughn recorded a pair of victories on the week and worked a total of 11 innings, allowing only one earned run with six hits, while striking out 11.

ASHLEIGH COLE - UCF
Cole concluded the week with a 3-0 record with a 0.43 ERA. In 21 innings of work, she sophomore allowed only one earned run on 10 hits, while striking out 16 batters.

STACIE TOWNSEND - UTEP
Townsend had a 1-1 showing last week, including a complete game shutout win. The freshman registered a 1.80 ERA in 11.2 innings of work and fanned 13 batters.

C-USA NOTEBOOK
EAST CAROLINA
PIRATE POWER
The 11-4 record that the East Carolina softball team has produced through the first three weekends of the season is due in large part to its offense. The Pirates are leading opponents .291-.233 in batting average, 67-36 in runs scored, 118-90 in hits, 19-11 in doubles, 13-7 in home runs, 62-34 in RBI, 180-122 in total bases and .444-.316 in slugging percentage. 2007 C-USA home run leader Jessica Johnson has three in 15 games.

PREDICTING IT RIGHT...SO FAR
Last season, East Carolina was picked fifth in the preseason. It went on to prove the prognosticators wrong as it finished second in both the regular season and conference tournament. In 2008, C-USA coaches believe that the Pirates will repeat that second place showing. They are right so far as ECU has the second-best winning percentage in C-USA. Their .733 mark ranks only behind No. 16/20 Houston who has started the season 14-0.

HOUSTON
RECORD START
The Cougars moved to a program best 14-0 to start the season including five wins last weekend at the Houston Marriott Classic. During the event, Houston hit 11 home runs and out-scored their opponents, 28-4. Houston passed the previous program best of 11-straight wins set in 2002 when the team started 11-0 before falling to Baylor

IMPRESSIVE WEEKEND
Senior pitcher Angel Shamblin moved to 6-0 after pitching three complete games over the weekend. In Houston's 3-1 win over Cal State Northridge, Shamblin struck out 12 batters just three shy of her program record 15 shutouts. In four of the five games last weekend, the Cougars hit more than two home runs in a game including three against Kansas and Cal State Northridge. Houston also had 39 hits in those five games and scored 28 runs.

MARSHALL
DOUBLES MACHINE
Senior All-American Rachel Folden hit .500 (5-for-10) last weekend to lead the Herd to a 3-0 record. She tallied three more doubles to push her season total to 10 and her C-USA career total to 34. The 34 doubles is good for 18th all-time. Folden is now alone in fourth place on the C-USA career home run list with 34.

BREAKOUT WEEKEND
Marshall crushed 11 runs in the fifth inning to stay undefeated at the USD Invitational with a 12-1 victory over UC Riverside, Saturday. The Herd (8-6) racked up 11 hits in the contest and is currently riding a three-game winning streak. The Herd collected 13 hits in the contest against San Diego and scored at least a run in the first five innings. The Herd had three players with multiple hits, as Rachael Sofie and Marcena Bertoldo had two and Rachel Folden paved the way with three. The team had five hits from five different hitters in its win on Friday.

MEMPHIS
RUNNER UP
The Tigers placed second in its Blues City Classic with a 3-1 record and only loss coming to tournament champion Morehead State, 2-1. Leila Dolfo, Janelle Valle and Melissa Nance were all named to the all-tournament team. It is the second year in a row Nance has been honored in the tournament.

HOME RUN MEMPHIS
Memphis hit at least three home runs in two of the four games last weekend and has done it in four of the last six games. As a team, Memphis hit eight home runs in the four days and totals 17 on the season. Memphis scored 13 runs in the second inning against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on 10 hits. Among the 10 hits were three home runs, including two by Leila Dolfo, who totaled five RBI in the inning. The 16 runs in the game ranks fourth-all time in Memphis history as do the 17 hits and 13 RBI.

SOUTHERN MISS
SOLID WEEK
Southern Miss went 3-3 last week, with two of the losses coming against No. 20 Louisiana-Lafayette. The Golden Eagles became the first team to record an earned run against ULL pitcher Ashley Brignac since her sophomore year of high school.

HILL LEADS USM
Megan Hill batted .474 last week with nine hits, including a home run and a double. She had six RBI while recording a .684 slugging percentage with no strikeouts in 19 at-bats. Kristin Chaney and Kristin Pilgim were named to the Louisiana Classic All-Tournament Team.

TULSA
TOURNAMENT WIN
Tulsa won the Holiday Inn Select-Tulsa Festival, including a pair of shutouts on Sunday. Freshman Jordan Kinard and sophomore Lauren Lindsay were named the tournaments Outstanding Pitcher and Outstanding Hitter, respectively. They also collected C-USA Hitter and Pitcher of the Week awards. Against Central Arkansas on Sunday, TU's first six hits were doubles.

HURRICANE QUICK HITS
Sophomore pitcher Jackie Lawrence picked up her first shutout of the season with an 8-0 run-rule win over Central Arkansas in five innings. She carried a no-hitter into the top fifth, when a ball dropped in front of TU's right fielder to break up the no-no. In eight innings pitched over the weekend, Lawrence allowed only the one hit and zero runs. She also struck out 10 batters while evening her season record at 3-3 and recording her first save. Senior Sara Dyer broke the school record for RBI in a career on Sunday. She now has 115 runs batted in while at TU. She is only the second TU player to even reach 100 career RBI.

UAB
ROGERS HEATING UP
Catcher Andrea Rogers is back to her usual self and more after hitting .563 over the week of Feb. 18-24 and .600 dating back to UAB's 6-4 victory against Jacksonville at the Seminole Classic. During her hot streak, the junior catcher has recorded four RBI, collected 12 hits, walked seven times and scored nine runs. She is also slugging .700 and reaching base at a .704 clip.

THE NEVER ENDING STORY
The Blazers played a game to remember when they squared off against Sacramento State on the opening day of the Mustang Classic. The seven-inning game lasted 3:03, featured 23 runs, 20 hits, 20 walks, 353 pitches and 87 total plate appearances by both teams. Only five of the 20 hits went for extra bases and 11 of the 20 walks came around to score. The game's 20 walks also tied two other games for fourth all-time in NCAA Div. I history for most walks in a single game. Sacramento State eventually emerged with a 15-8 victory.

UCF
COUNCIL LEADS KNIGHTS
Marquita Council hit .444 (8-for-18) with five runs scored for the Knights last weekend. She recorded at least one hit in all six of UCF's contest, including a pair of two-hit performances against Stetson and George Mason. She had one of the Knights four hits against No. 12 Michigan and reached base three times in the game. She walked five times last week.

PERFECT WEEK FOR COLE
UCF pitcher Ashleigh Cole concluded last week 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA. In 21 innings of work, the sophomore allowed only one earned run on 10 hits, while striking out 16 batters. Cole pitched three complete games, including a two-hit shutout performance against Stetson. In the win, Cole had six K's and did not allow a walk.

UTEP
SEEING DOUBLE
Amber Bennett tallied four doubles over the weekend, bringing her total to a team-high seven for the season. As a team, the Miners have connected for 36 (2.57 pg) in 2008. The mark is one more than last year when the Miners tallied 35 after 14 games of play. Ashley Perez and Rachel Schaeffer have contributed to the doubles total having blasted six and five, respectively.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
UTEP opened its home slate defeating UTSA, 6-0 and 8-4 on Saturday. Since UTEP's inaugural campaign, the Miners have gone a flawless 5-0 in season home openers. The Miners' 6-0 win over the Roadrunners also marked the third time in UTEP's five-year history that they have shutout an opponent in the opener. The Miners captured shutout victories over Howard Payne (2005) and Sam Houston State (2007).

AROUND THE HORN
EAST CAROLINA
After falling to Penn State 9-3 in its first contest Sunday, East Carolina rebounded to rout Appalachian State 8-2 in the nightcap of the Pirate Classic at the ECU Softball Field. The Pirates pushed their record to 11-4 on the season with the split. Britt Howell took the loss for East Carolina in game one as she pitched three and two-thirds innings in relief of Brooke Swann. Her record now stands at 3-1 on the early season. Kaui Tom ended the contest a perfect 3-for-3. Senior Stacey Andrews ripped a home run and triple against Appalachian State to lead the Pirates offensive attack. Swann pitched her seventh complete game of the season while running her record to 5-2. She scattered five hits while also striking out five. Andrews finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI, a career-high. East Carolina continues its season next weekend, hosting the Pirate Clash. The Pirates will take on the Radford Highlanders at 2 p.m. Friday at the ECU Softball Field.

HOUSTON
No. 16/20 Houston moved to 14-0 Sunday after defeating Texas State, 4-0, to conclude play at the Houston Marriott Classic. The Cougars swept their second-straight tournament and outscored their opponents 28-4 in five games. The 14 consecutive wins are a program record. Senior Angel Shamblin stayed perfect on the mound, moving to 7-0 this season. In seven innings of work, she allowed just one hit, no runs and struck out five batters. On day two Saturday, the Cougars earned their first win, 7-3, over Kansas. It was only the second time this season that Houston has allowed three runs from an opponent. UH capped the day off with a 7-1 win over Centenary College. Barbie Love got her fourth win of the season allowing only one run, one hit and striking out twelve. Up next, the Cougars will take to the road for the first time this season when they travel to College Station, Texas for a double-header against No. 3 Texas A&M.

MARSHALL
Marshall crushed 11 runs in the fifth inning to stay undefeated at the USD Invitational with a 12-1 victory over UC Riverside, Saturday afternoon at the USD Softball Complex. The Herd (8-6) racked up 11 hits in the contest and is currently riding a three-game winning streak. Marshall's game with Colorado State on Sunday was cancelled, due to inclement weather. All-American catcher Rachel Folden went 3-for-4 in her home state to lead the Thundering Herd to a 6-4 victory over the University of San Diego, Saturday morning. The Herd collected 13 hits in the contest. The Herd had three players with multiple hits as Rachael Sofie and Marcena Bertoldo had two and Folden paved the way with three. After being postponed three different times, Marshall fought through the weather and adversity for a 4-2 victory over the Nevada Wolfpack on Friday. Marshall returns to action for its final tournament of the year at the 2008 Frost Classic at Chattanooga, Tenn., Friday, Feb. 29-March 1.

MEMPHIS
Memphis closed out its Blues City Classic at Greenbrook Park with a 16-2 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sunday to finish second in the tournament. The Tigers (8-5) finished 3-1 in the tournament, taking runner-up behind a Morehead State. Junior infielder Leila Dolfo, freshman pitcher Janelle Valle and senior third baseman Melissa Nance all were named to the all-tournament team. Memphis, which has won eight of its last 10 games, scored 13 runs in the second inning behind a pair of homers from Dolfo. The Tigers had 10 hits in the inning and had at least one hit in all but two spots in the batting order. The Tigers earned two victories during day two of the Classic on Saturday. The U of M beat Southeast Missouri, 3-1, in the opening game and followed it with a 6-0 shutout over Alabama A&M. Dolfo hit a solo home run in game one on Friday, but the Tigers fell, 2-1, to Morehead State. Memphis will next play in the Residence Inn Invitational hosted by Oklahoma in Normal, Okla., on Friday and Saturday.

SOUTHERN MISS
No. 20 Louisiana-Lafayette blooped a single to centerfield to score the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th to give the Ragin' Cajuns a 3-2 victory over Southern Miss Sunday at Ragin' Cajuns Park. Southern Miss (9-6) also dropped a 5-3 decision in nine innings earlier in the day to Mississippi Valley State to finish the tournament 1-3, but garnered the event's runner-up trophy. The quartet of Kristin Chaney, Jennifer Fox, Kristin Pilgrim and Lana Vaughn were named to the Louisiana Classics All-Tournament team. Southern Miss opened the first day of the Classic on Saturday with a 5-0 victory over Mississippi Valley State, before falling to No. 20 ULL 4-1. Southern Miss returns to action, Wednesday, when they play host to South Alabama in a single contest at the Softball Complex in Hattiesburg. Game time is set for 6 p.m.

TULSA
Tulsa (6-6) got a near record performance from freshman Jordan Kinard, sparking a 3-0 victory over Central Arkansas at the Holiday Inn Select-Tulsa Festival on Sunday. In the Golden Hurricane's second game, TU shutout Eastern Illinois, 8-0 in five innings to win the tournament . The Golden Hurricane bats started on fire against the Bears, posting six doubles in the first two innings to go along with three runs. Kinard did her part in the circle to keep the TU lead. The Sand Springs, Okla., native struck out 15 UCA batters to pick up her first collegiate win. In the night cap, the Hurricane made sure the bats were still warm. TU pounded out 11 hits for the second consecutive contest, including five for extra bases. TU opened the home portion of its schedule with a rain soaked 8-5 victory over Valparaiso on Saturday. Against the Crusaders, TU opened the scoring early with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. The Golden Hurricane return to action on Wednesday, February 27 against in-state rival Oklahoma.

UAB
UAB (9-8) lost its final game of the Mustang Classic to host school Cal Poly on Sunday, 5-2. The Blazers finished with one win and three losses at the tournament. Kayla Harris lasted four innings in the circle and was moved to first after her hand was struck with a line drive to start the fourth. She was 2-of-3 from the plate. UAB jumped out to an early lead in its 9-1 victory over Santa Clara Saturday morning. The Blazers set the tone early, scoring five runs in the first inning. Harris delivered the exclamation with a two-run homer and chased the Santa Clara starter from the game after recording just one out. As a team the Blazers knocked out 10 hits, with Andrea Rogers collecting three singles and Leigh Walker, Holly Krzan and Harris each with two hits. The Blazers dropped decisions to Sacramento State and California Friday during the first day of the Classic. UAB lost a marathon game to Sacramento State, 15-8 before falling to California 10-2 in six innings. UAB will be in action 6 p.m. Tuesday at George Ward Park as it hosts No. 15 Mississippi State for a single game.

UCF
UCF (10-8) nearly pulled off its biggest upset of the season Sunday night against No. 12 Michigan, but fell to the Wolverines, 6-1. The Knights held the Michigan squad scoreless through the first seven innings, before giving up six runs in the top of the eighth. Breanne Javier led UCF at the plate with a hit and a RBI. The Knights downed Drake in game one on Sunday, 2-1. UCF scored early, getting all the runs it needed in the second inning. UCF used 17 hits from its offense and 13 strikeouts from senior pitcher Allison Kime to defeat George Mason, 10-1, in six innings Saturday. Sophomore pitcher Ashleigh Cole recorded three hits and picked up her second win of the season in the circle to lead UCF to a 5-2 win over Birmingham-Southern Friday evening. Earlier in the day, the Knights dropped a 1-0 contest to Auburn. The Knights will have the opportunity to avenge the loss Wednesday, when they entertain the Wolverines in a rematch at the UCF Softball Complex at 6 p.m.

UTEP
UTSA topped UTEP, 5-0, in the final game of a three-game series on Sunday at Helen of Troy Field. The Miners move to 9-5 on the season. Stacie Townsend received the loss and moves to 3-3 on the season. The Miners combined for six hits including two by Shea Lodes. UTEP won both ends of a doubleheader, defeating UTSA, 6-0 and 8-4, respectively on Saturday. Townsend and Nichole Tunget received the wins. Townsend and Tunget each fanned eight batters to finish the day with perfect ERAs. Amber Bennett notched four of UTEP's six doubles, to total seven for 2008. The junior batted a team-high .500 for the day going 4-for-8 with two runs and one RBI. Simone Holland chipped in three runs and four RBI to lead UTEP and Townsend also had three runs. As a team, UTEP totaled 14 runs on 19 hits, including 11 hits in Game 1. UTEP returns to Helen of Troy on Thursday as they open the UTEP Softball Invitational in a doubleheader against Northern Colorado.