March 3, 2008

IRVING, Texas - East Carolina completed a 5-1 weekend, defeating Towson and Fordham Sunday at the ECU Softball Field to earn the 2008 Pirate Clash championship. The Pirates improved their record to 16-5 and have won 12 of their last 15 contests. Tournament MVP Brooke Swann picked up both of the wins as she ended the weekend with a 4-1 record and one save.

UTEP (14-6) made history on Sunday, winning its first back-to-back tournament titles, as the team demolished Georgetown, 11-2 in five innings, to win the 2008 UTEP Softball Invitational. The Miners combined for 13 hits in the rout that included two doubles - giving UTEP 45 on the season - and two home runs.

RECENT RESULTS
Sunday, March 2
#Wright State 9, Marshall 3
@ East Carolina 8, Towson 3
@East Carolina 6, Fordham 2
&North Texas 5, Memphis 4
^Maryland 1, UCF 0
^UCF 5, Vermont 0
&No. 10 Oklahoma 10, Memphis 0 (5 inn.)
#Chattanooga 6, Marshall 5
%UAB 7, Columbia 0
!UTEP 11, Georgetown 2 (5 inn.)
$Tulsa 4, Penn State 1 (8 inn.)
$No. 9 LSU 6, Tulsa 1

Saturday, March 1
#Kentucky 10, Marshall 4
$Penn State 3, Southern Miss 0
^UCF 11, Villanova 4
$Tulsa 3, South Alabama 2 (8 inn.)
&Memphis 4, North Texas 0
@Fordham 11, East Carolina 6
%UAB 4, Samford 2
^UCF 8, Vermont 2
@East Carolina 10, Delaware 0 (5 inn.)
%Georgia Southern 2, UAB 0
$No. 9 LSU 4, Tulsa 2
&No. 10 Oklahoma 17, Memphis 0 (5 inn.)
!UC Riverside 4, UTEP 2
$South Alabama 1, Southern Miss 0

Friday, February 29
@East Carolina 5, Radford 1
$Penn State 4, Tulsa 1
^UCF 10, Florida A&M 6
!UTEP 8, Loyola Marymount 2
@East Carolina 7, Liberty 3
$No. 9 LSU 8, Southern Miss 5
%UAB 5, Alabama State 2
%UAB 12, Birmingham-Southern 0 (5 inn.)
!UTEP 6, Binghamton 1
^USA Olympic Team 1, UCF 0 (Exh.)
P>Thursday, February 28
!UTEP 12, Northern Colorado 4
!UTEP 12, Northern Colorado 6

Wednesday, February 27
South Alabama 3, Southern Miss 0
No. 10 Oklahoma 8, Tulsa 0
No. 12 Michigan 3, UCF 1 (9 inn.)
No. 2 Texas A&M 8, No. 14 Houston 7
No. 2 Texas A&M 2, No. 14 Houston 0

RECENT GAMES KEY
! - UTEP Invitational, El Paso, TX
@ - Pirate Clash, Greenville, NC
# - 2008 Frost Classic, Chattanooga, TN
$ - Purple & Gold Challenge, Baton Rouge, LA
% - Magic City Classic, Birmingham, AL
^ - Altamonte Springs, Altamonte, FL
& - OU Residence Inn Invite, Norman, OK

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 (3/3)
HITTER OF THE WEEK
STACEY ANDREWS - East Carolina
LF, Sr., Greenville, N.C. (Pitt CC)
Andrews played and started all six games of the Pirate Clash, hitting .571 (8-for14) while scoring six runs. The senior produced two doubles, a home run, seven RBI, two walks, three stolen bases, two sac bunts and a sacrifice fly. The Greenville, N.C native tallied four RBI against Delaware on two hits, going 2-for-3 in the contest. On the week, Andrews scored six runs, including two each against Radford and Liberty. She hit safely in five of six games and recorded three extra-base hits, including two doubles and a home run versus Radford. Andrews was 3-for-3 stealing bases, moving her season total to four. This is the first career weekly award for Andrews.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
JENNIFER NELSON - UAB
P, Sr., Morris, Ala. (Mortimer-Jordan)
Nelson had an impressive weekend at the Magic City Classic, tallying two victories and a save as UAB was the tournament runner-up. The senior struck out 28 hitters and walked just three over 21 innings pitched. In the Blazers' victory against Columbia, Nelson struck out 12 including eight in a row. She struck out the side in each of the first three innings. The Morris, Ala., native also recorded her first save of the season and third of her career against Samford on Saturday. The senior also passed the 100-strikeout mark for the fourth time in her career against the Bulldogs, becoming just the second Blazer to accomplish the feat. This season, Nelson has moved into sole possession of third place on the C-USA all-time strikeout list. She has tallied 116 so far this season and 697 for her career. The weekly honor is the third of Nelson's career, her first in 2008

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 (2/26 - 3/2)
Rachel Folden - Marshall
Folden, an All-American, went 7-for-13 (.538) with a home run and two RBI. She leads the league in doubles with 11 and has nine RBI and three home runs.

KAILEY KASSNER - Memphis
Kassner went 4-for-8 (.500) and had her first career multi-hit games against North Texas. She raised her batting average over 100 points, from .200 to .304.

HOLLY KRZAN - UAB
Krzan hit .385 (5-for-13) with two home runs and drove in a seven total RBI at the Magic City Classic. She slugged 1.000 and scored six runs.

AMBER BENNETT - UTEP
Bennett hit .412 (7-for-17) to lead her team to the UTEP Invitational title. She posted four singles, a double, a triple and a home run during the weekend with four RBI.

NOTABLE PERFORMACES IN THE CIRCLE (2/26 - 3/2)
BROOKE SWANN - East Carolina
Swann tallied a 4-1 record with one save in 31.2 innings of work, to move to 10-3 on the season. She threw her first career no-hitter against Delaware, only allowing two base runners in the contest.

JANELLE VALLE- Memphis
Valle earned her second career shutout with a 4-0 victory over North Texas. The shutout was her second straight and she had seven strikeouts in 10.2 total innings of work last week.

ALLISON KIME - UCF
Kime totaled 27 strikeouts in 19.0 innings pitches last weekend, including a 15-strikeout performance in the Knights' win over Villanova. Her total for the game was a career-high for a seven inning outing. Kime also tallied six strikeouts against Team USA in an exhibition on Friday. It was the most by any opposing pitcher against Team USA this season.

C-USA NOTEBOOK
EAST CAROLINA
SWAN THROWS NO, NO
Junior Brooke Swann threw her first career no-hitter on Saturday as the Pirates routed Delaware 10-0 in five innings. The Callao, Va. native only allowed two base runners in the contest. The effort was just one in a solid weekend for Swann in which she recorded a 4-1 record with one save. Her record now stands at 10-3 for the season as she leads Conference USA in victories.

ADDING TO THE TROPHY CASE
With a 6-2 triumph over Fordham, the East Carolina softball team took home the 2008 Pirate Clash championship. The Pirates exacted a bit of revenge on the Rams as Fordham had defeated ECU 11-6 the previous day, scoring seven runs in the fifth inning. In addition to the Pirate Clash title, the squad also captured the Pirate Invitational two weeks ago, going 5-0 and defeating ACC foe Boston College in the title game.

HOUSTON
STRIKING OUT BREAST CANCER
Houston will be trading in their traditional white home uniforms for pink jerseys in the second annual "Striking Out Breast Cancer Game" to be held on March 5, 2008 against nationally ranked Texas. The double-header is slated to being at 5pm at Cougar Softball Stadium. Like last season, the pink jerseys worn in the game will be autographed and auctioned off at the silent auction. This year Houston will also autograph their pink helmets and auction those off as well. The Houston affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the beneficiary of the March 5 event.

NO. 2 TOUGH
Three Houston softball players hit home runs in the second game of a double-header against No. 2 Texas A&M but it wouldn't be enough as the Aggies earned two wins over the No. 14/16 Cougars in College Station, Texas on Wednesday. The Cougars are now 2-2 against ranked foes so far this season.

MARSHALL
DOUBLES MACHINE
Senior All-American catcher Rachel Folden hit .538 (7-for-13) last weekend to lead the Herd at the 2008 Frost Classic in Chattanooga, Tenn. She leads C-USA in doubles with 11 and she now has nine RBI on the season with three home runs. She is hitting .455 so far this season and has 44 total career home runs, 35 in Conference USA.

TOURVILLE HITS TWO
Marshall second baseman Deanna Tourville hit her fourth and fifth home runs of the season, but it wasn't enough as the Herd couldn't withstand a late Wright State rally and lost to the Raiders, 9-3, Sunday morning. It was the first multiple home run performance from Tourville since her sophomore season when she hit two solo shots against Appalachian State. She finished the game with all three Herd RBI.

MEMPHIS
KASSNER KASHES IN
Freshman first baseman/catcher Kailey Kassner broke out with two multi-hit games for the Tigers, both coming against North Texas. Kassner also had her first multi-RBI game after hitting a two-run single against North Texas on Sunday. The Elk Grove Village, Ill., native raised her batting average over 100 points from .200 to .304 after hitting .500 in the four games.

HOME SWEET HOME
Memphis will play its first true home games of the season this week at the Tiger Softball Complex. The U of M hosts a doubleheader on Wednesday against Central Arkansas and then opens conference play with Marshall during the weekend. Memphis is 12-6 in its home park and has won its last six games in the stadium after sweeping three game sets with UAB and UCF to end the year last season.

SOUTHERN MISS
LONG BALLS NOT ENOUGH
Southern Miss hit three home runs in the loss against No. 9 LSU. The last time the Golden Eagles hit three home runs in a game was against Marshall on March 7th of last season. Brittney Pigott hit her first career-home run against LSU (a two-run shot off the right field foul post). Lauren Castellvi notched her eighth career home run, while Jennifer Fox hit her 16th homer this past weekend

HOME STAND
Southern Miss opens a six-game home stand beginning with a double-header against McNeese State, Mar. 5, followed by the Conference USA season-opener against Tulsa, Mar. 8-9 and concluding with a game against in-state rival Ole Miss, Mar. 12.

TULSA
SPLITSVILLE
For the fifth time this season, Tulsa split a pair of decisions on the same day. In seven opportunities of playing two games in one day, the Golden Hurricane has won a game and lost a game on five of those dates. Included in that stat is the final day of the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge in Baton Rouge, La. Tulsa, the fourth seed for bracket play, defeated top-seeded Penn State, 4-1 to start the day. The Hurricane then fell in the championship game to host LSU, 6-1, to fall to 8-10 on the year.

ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Freshman pitcher Jordan Kinard and sophomore right fielder Lauren Lindsay were both named to the all-tournament team after helping lead TU to a second place finish at the Easton Purple & Gold Classic

UAB
NELSON JOINS ELITE CLUB
Pitcher Jennifer Nelson passed the 100-strikeout mark for the fourth time in her career Saturday becoming just the second Blazer to accomplish the feat. Nelson's second strikeout in first inning put her at the 100 mark in the 82nd inning pitched this season. Her 12-strikeout performance against Columbia gave her 116 on the season. The next milestone the left-hander is reaching 200 strikeouts for the third consecutive season and the 700-career strikeout mark. Kerri Foster is the only other Blazer to record four-straight 100-strikeout seasons.

CAREER MOVEMENT
Junior Kayla Harris is having a career-season at the plate and in the circle for UAB. Harris had four doubles over the weekend, giving her a total of five for the season and matching her career total entering the season. She is hitting .273, up 90 points from last year, and is quickly approaching career-highs in home runs (3) and RBIs (16). As a starting pitcher, Harris has totaled six victories, two shy of her mark in 2007. She has three shutouts this season.

UCF
TAMING TEAM USA
Senior pitcher Allison Kime totaled 27 K's last week in 19.0 innings of work, including a 15-strikeout performance against Villanova and a three-hit complete game against Team USA. Kime has six strikeouts against the US National Team, the most of any pitcher that has faced them this season. In six prior games, Team USA had out-scored its opponents 65-0, before downing the Knights 1-0. She held the team scoreless through five innings.

COLE CONTROLS VERMONT
UCF pitcher Ashleigh Cole had a solid day at the plate against Vermont on Sunday and along with the HCF defense, retired 15-straight batters at one point in the game against the Catamounts. Cole picked up her fifth win of the season with the victory and moved her record to 5-4 on the season. She posted seven strikeouts, allowing only one run on three hits.

UTEP
MINERS MAKE HISTORY
UTEP (14-6) made history on Sunday, winning its first back-to-back tournament titles, as the team demolished Georgetown, 11-2 in five innings, to win the 2008 UTEP Softball Invitational. The Miners combined for 13 hits in the rout that included two doubles - giving UTEP 45 on the season - and two home runs.

BENNETT BASHES
UTEP's Amber Bennett hit for the cycle during the weekend, while leading the Miners to a 5-1 record and the UTEP Invitational tournament title. Bennett posted four singles, a double, a triple and a home run to bat .412 (7-for-17) in the six games with four RBI. The California native combined for a team-high 10 runs as the lead off hitter and totaled 13 bases. She struck out just once and walked five times. Bennett recorded a pair 3-for-4 outings on the weekend.

AROUND THE HORN
EAST CAROLINA
East Carolina completed a 5-1 weekend, defeating Towson and Fordham Sunday at the ECU Softball Field to earn the 2008 Pirate Clash championship. The Pirates improved their record to 16-5 and have won 12 of their last 15 contests. Tournament MVP Brooke Swann picked up both of the wins as she ended the weekend with a 4-1 record and one save. After dropping the first of two games on Saturday to Fordham 11-6, the Pirates rode a no-hitter from Swann to rout Delaware, 10-0. Swann allowed just two base runners through the first three innings as East Carolina stretched its lead to 8-0 with three runs in the top of the third. ECU took a pair of contests over Radford and Liberty to begin the Pirate Clash on Friday. East Carolina travels to Orlando this weekend as it opens Conference USA play with a three-game series against UCF at the UCF Softball Complex. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday while wrapping up the series on Sunday with a single game.

HOUSTON
Three Houston players hit home runs in the second game of a double-header against No. 2 Texas A&M but it wouldn't be enough as the Aggies earned two wins over the No. 14/16 Cougars in College Station, Texas on Wednesday. The Aggies won the two games with scores of 2-0 and 8-7. Houston is now 14-2 on the season and 2-2 against ranked opponents in 2008. Barbie Love took the game two loss, while Angel Shamblin was saddled with her first defeat of the season in game one. Shamblin pitched six innings, allowed four hits, one earned run and struck out three. Haley Valis went 2-for-6 in the contests, with one home run. The blast was her fourth of the season. The Cougars had the weekend off and will host their Second Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game on March 5. Houston will play Texas in a double-header slated to begin at 5pm at Cougar Softball Stadium.

MARSHALL
Tennessee-Chattanooga hit a walk off home run to down Marshall, 6-5, Sunday afternoon at the 2008 Frost Classic at Jim Frost Stadium. Marshall (8-10) finished the game with nine hits, three coming from All-American catcher Rachel Folden. Marshall second baseman Deanna Tourville hit her fourth and fifth home runs of the season, but it wasn't enough as the Herd couldn't withstand a late Wright State rally and lost to the Raiders, 9-3, Sunday morning. It was the first multiple home run performance from Tourville since her sophomore season. She finished the game with all three Herd RBI. Folden hit her 44th career home run, but it was too little again as the Herd fell to Buffalo, 11-6, Saturday evening. Marshall fell to Kentucky, 10-4, on Saturday morning. The Herd concluded tournament play at Chattanooga, Tenn., on Sunday and will gear up for conference play with a doubleheader at Memphis, Saturday, March 8 at 1 p.m. (ET).

MEMPHIS
North Texas staged a four-run seventh inning rally to defeat Memphis in a heartbreaking 5-4 loss on Sunday at the Residence Inn Invitational at the OU Softball Complex. The Tigers then lost 10-0 in five innings to No. 9/10 Oklahoma. Memphis falls to 9-8 on the season and finished the tournament 1-3 after losing the final three games. Senior centerfielder Lindsay Kelso led the U of M with three hits in the two games with an RBI against North Texas and a double against Oklahoma. Freshman first baseman Kailey Kassner went 2-for-3 with two RBI against North Texas. Memphis fell 17-0 in five innings to No. 9/10 Oklahoma on Saturday. The Tigers ended the day 1-1 after defeating North Texas 4-0 earlier. Against UNT, freshman Janelle Valle threw her second-straight shutout. Kassner and junior second baseman Leila Dolfo led the team with two hit performances. The Tigers next will play a doubleheader at Alcorn State on Tuesday before hosting a doubleheader with Central Arkansas on Wednesday and a three-game series with Marshall to open conference play on Saturday and Sunday.

SOUTHERN MISS
South Alabama had a late rally and scored a 1-0, eight-inning victory over Southern Miss Saturday night to complete pool play of the Easton Purple and Gold Challenge at Tiger Park. The Golden Eagles (9-10) lost their seventh-straight contest after finishing the tournament 0-3. They did not advance to Sunday's championship round. Penn State hit two solo home runs to grab a 3-0 victory on Saturday afternoon. Southern Miss got home runs from Lauren Castellvi, Jennifer Fox and Brittney Pigott and a solid relief pitching effort from Hannah Griffin, but the Golden Eagles could not overcome No. 9 LSU in an 8-5 loss in the opening game of the Challenge. The Golden Eagles return to action Wednesday, March 5, when they play host to McNeese State in a doubleheader at the Southern Miss Softball Complex. Game time is set for 5 p.m.

TULSA
For the fifth time this season, Tulsa split a pair of decisions on the same day. In seven opportunities of playing two games in one day, the Golden Hurricane has won a game and lost a game on five of those dates. Tulsa, the fourth seed for bracket play, defeated top-seeded Penn State, 4-1 to start the day Sunday. The Hurricane then fell in the championship game to host No. 9 LSU, 6-1, to fall to 8-10 on the year. Lauren Lindsay and Jordan Kinard were named to the All-Tournament team. Tulsa split another pair of decisions Saturday. The Golden Hurricane defeated South Alabama, 3-2 in extra innings then fell to No. 9 LSU, 4-2. A trio of Tulsa hitters extended their hitting streaks on Friday afternoon, but it was not enough as Penn State took a 4-1 victory. Lindsay recorded two hits, including a double. The Hurricane will return to the friendly confines of the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex on Wednesday, March 5th, hosting Oklahoma in a single game at 6 p.m.

UAB
Jennifer Nelson struck out 12 and Holly Krzan homered as UAB (13-9) wrapped up the Magic City Classic with a convincing 7-0 win over Columbia Sunday afternoon. Nelson struck out the side in each of the first three innings. Krzan's line drive shot over the left field fence was her second home run of the tournament and third of the season. Nelson stayed true to her style this season, striking out 12 (including eight in a row) after allowing a seeing-eye single in the first. UAB split its games at Saturday, scoring two runs in the final inning to defeat Samford, before falling to Georgia Southern. The Blazers pounded out 17 runs in two games, helping them to victories over Alabama State and Birmingham-Southern on the opening day of the Classic on Friday. The Blazers defeated Alabama State 5-2 and woke up the bats with a 12-0 take down of cross-town rival Birmingham-Southern. UAB will travel to No. 18 Mississippi State for a single game beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Starkville, Miss. The Blazers host No. 1 Alabama at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at George Ward Park.

UCF
UCF (14-10) took home second place at the Altamonte Springs Tournament Sunday afternoon after posting a 5-1 win over Vermont, before falling to Maryland, 1-0, in the championship game at the Merrill Park Softball Complex. Hillary Barrow and Breanne Javier both posted two hits on the day. The Knights swept day two of tournament on Saturday afternoon after defeating Villanova, 11-4, and Vermont, 8-2. With the pair of victories, the Knights earned the No. 2 seed going into Sunday's bracket play. In UCF's win over Vermont, Allison Kime fanned 15 batters, a career high for seven innings of work. Kime posted six strikeouts and allowed only one run and three hits, despite the Knights falling to Team USA, 1-0, in an exhibition on Friday night. Earlier in the day, UCF defeated Florida A&M, 10-6. Four different Knights recorded two hits in the game, with Tiffany Lane and Javier also posting two RBI apiece. UCF is back on the road Wednesday when they take on in-state rival Florida at 6 p.m. in Gainesville, Fla.

UTEP
UTEP (14-6) made history on Sunday, winning its first back-to-back tournament titles, as the team demolished Georgetown, 11-2 in five innings, to win the 2008 UTEP Softball Invitational. The Miners combined for 13 hits in the rout that included two doubles - giving UTEP 45 on the season - and two home runs. Ashley Perez and Amber Bennett were each a triple shy of the cycle. Bennett accomplished the feat for the tournament after posting a triple versus Binghamton Friday. Perez ended the day going 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI while Bennett was 3-for-4 with a run and one RBI. Bennett recorded three runs on three hits that included a triple, her first of the season, as UTEP defeated Loyola Marymount 8-2 and Binghamton, 6-1, on Friday. UTEP combined for 22 hits en route to a 12-4 and 12-6 doubleheader sweep of Northern Colorado in the opening round of the UTEP Invitational on Thursday. The Miners open their Conference USA season with a three game home series against UAB on Saturday, March 8.