April 7, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

IRVING, Texas - Allison Kime went a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI to lead UCF to a 6-4 upset over No. 9 Houston at the UCF Softball Complex Sunday afternoon. The senior also picked up the win in the circle for the Knights, allowing three earned runs on eight hits, while striking out five in six innings of relief.

The win boosted Kime's record to 19-8 on the season and 8-2 in Conference USA play, while also snapping the Cougars' seven-game winning streak. The UCF victory was also the first all-time against Houston.

RECENT RESULTS
Sunday, April 6
*Marshall 6, East Carolina 3
*Marshall 5, East Carolina 3
*UCF 6, No. 9 Houston 5
*Memphis 5, UTEP 1
*UAB 3, Tulsa 2 (8 inn.)

Saturday, April 5
*No. 9 Houston 5, UCF 1
*Memphis 1, UTEP 0
*Memphis 6, UTEP 2
*Tulsa 1, UAB 0
*UAB 6, Tulsa 5

Thursday, April 3
No. 19 Louisiana-Lafayette 2, Southern Miss 0
Mississippi Valley State 2, UAB 1

Wednesday, April 2
Tennessee State 4, Memphis 0
Tennessee State 3, Memphis 2
No. 16 North Carolina 3, East Carolina 1
East Carolina 3, No. 16 North Carolina 2
Marshall 11, No. 24 Ohio State 0 (6 inn.)
Marshall 6, No. 24 Ohio State 1
Chattanooga 4, UAB 3
Chattanooga 2, UAB 1
UCF 7, North Florida 0
Southern Miss 3, SE Louisiana 1

* - C-USA Game

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 (4/7)
HITTER OF THE WEEK
Rachel Folden - Marshall
C., Sr., Baldwin Park, Calif. (Diamond Bar)
Folden had a great week at the plate, going 7-for-15 (.467) with three home runs, seven RBIs while also scoring five runs. The Baldwin Park, Calif. native was a key component in both wins over No. 24 Ohio State. Her first homer in the second game proved to be the game-winning run, while her blast in the first game enforced the mercy rule. The Herd now has three wins over ranked teams in 2008. Folden increased her Marshall all-time home run mark to 51 and her 42 blasts as a competitor in C-USA place her third on the all-time league list. She has scored a team-high 37 runs for the Herd and is just the second player this year to hit multiple home runs in a game for Marshall. Folden led off the second game of the ECU series with a single to start the three-run first inning to help her team to the eventual win. This is the fifth career weekly honor for the All-American, her second in 2008 (Feb. 11).

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
CAITLYN JACKSON - Marshall
P, So., Ontario, Calif. (Pomona Catholic)
Jackson was terrific inside the pitching circle for the Herd in wins over No. 24 Ohio State and C-USA foe East Carolina. The sophomore ace shutdown No. 24 Ohio State with a complete-game shutout allowing three hits with only one walk. She followed up that performance with a victory over East Carolina where she registered six-consecutive scoreless innings. The California native pitched complete-games in both outings and increased her win total to seven, while registering a 1.61 ERA. She also added five strikeouts. The weekly honor is the first of Jackson's career.

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 (4/1 - 4/6)
VANESSA MORENO - East Carolina
Moreno hit 5-for-14 (.357) with three runs scored, a double, a home run, three RBI and a stolen base. She belted her home run in the first inning of ECU's upset of No. 16 North Carolina.

TORI GROSS - Memphis
Gross hit .357 (5-for-14) on the week with four RBI. She knocked in or scored the game-winner in two of the three games against UTEP, including a home run in game two.

KAILEY YARMER - Tulsa
Yarmer led her team with a .400 batting average, including a .700 slugging percentage and a .400 on-base percentage. She had the game-winning triple in TU's win over UAB.

ALLISON KIME - UCF
Kime went 2-1 in the circle including a win over No. 9 Houston on Sunday. She tallied 23 strikeouts in 20.0 innings of work. At the plate, Kime hit .625 (5-for-8) with a home run, four runs scored and three RBI, while registering a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage. Kime recorded a hit in all of the Knights' games last week.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES IN THE CIRCLE (4/1 - 4/6)
BROOKE SWANN - East Carolina
Swann tallied a 1-1 record on the week in 12 innings of work. She tallied her first collegiate complete game at No. 16 North Carolina. She did not allow a run in eight of 12 innings pitched.

RAYNA McCLINTON - Memphis
McClinton went 2-1 last week in three starts. She tossed 18 innings of work with 20 strikeouts and held UTEP's top two hitters hitless in her two games.

JORDAN KINARD - Tulsa
Kinard went 1-1 last week with 21 strikeouts in 14.2 innings pitched. She struck out 12 UAB batters in the first game of the series and then tossed six and two-thirds innings of shutout softball in relief in the series finale.

KAYLA HARRIS - UAB
Harris was 1-1 and helped the Blazers win game two against Tulsa on Saturday, allowing just one earned run and striking out eight. She tallied 23 Ks last week in 19.2 innings of work.

C-USA NOTEBOOK
EAST CAROLINA
RIGGS HANDLES HEELS
Freshman Suzanne Riggs picked a perfect time to throw her first collegiate complete game as she shut down No. 16 North Carolina in the Pirates' 3-2 upset victory on Wednesday in Chapel Hill. The Greenville, N.C. native went seven innings while allowing two earned runs on eight hits. Riggs struck out a career-high six batters and walked just two.

RPI FACTS AND FIGURES
The East Carolina softball team has lost 18 games this season. However, just two of those contests have been against teams with an RPI ranking worse than 92. The Pirates have fallen to Fordham (116) and Wisconsin (162), but sport wins over North Carolina (11), Tulsa (45), Radford (52) and North Florida (67). Additionally, ECU has twice beaten UCF (33), Kent State (47) and Southern Miss (86).

HOUSTON
COUGARS No. 9
Houston found itself ranked in both the latest USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 polls for the eighth consecutive week. They hold the No. 9 spot in both the coaches poll and the ESPN.com poll.

This is the first time in Houston softball program history that the Cougars earned a spot in a national Top 25 poll. The No. 9 ranking is the highest for a C-USA Softball program since former league member DePaul was No. 4 during week 11 of the 2003 season.

SHAMBLIN IN THIRD
Senior pitcher Angel Shamblin is tied for third on the all-time C-USA victories list (77), while she sits in fourth on the league's all-time strikeout list with 736.

MARSHALL
FOLDEN POWERS HERD
Senior slugger Rachel Folden had a great hitting week last week, going 7-for-15 (.467) with three home runs, seven RBI and scoring five runs. The All-American as key in the Herd's sweep over No. 24 Ohio State last week. Folden hit three home runs, her first of two in game two provided the game winning run, while her blast in the first game enforced the mercy rule.

JACKSON COMES THROUGH
Sophomore pitcher Caitlyn Jackson was terrific inside the pitching circle as she grabbed two wins over No. 24 Ohio State and league foe East Carolina. She notched two complete game victories and increased her win total to seven in 2008.

MEMPHIS
HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
After hitting .188 with 11 runs scored and a .269 on-base percentage during an eight-game losing streak, Memphis' hitting appears to be heading back in the right direction after a three-game sweep over UTEP. The Tigers outscored the Miners 12-3 in the series, while batting an improved .227 with a .342 on base percentage. During the slump, the U of M pitching staff had allowed 44 runs in 45 innins with 26 strikeouts and 41 walks for a 5.91 ERA. Against UTEP, Tiger pitching limited UTEP to three runs with 20 strikeouts and a 1.00 ERA.

McCLINTON SHINES
In the five games this season pitcher Rayna McClinton has gone five innings or more, the freshman has allowed no more than four hits and has had a pair of two hitters. McClinton is averaging 3.8 hits per seven innings with 5.8 strikeouts in her last four starts. Last week the RHP struck out 20 batters in 18 innings of work, while picking up two of the three victories in a sweep over UTEP. McClinton struck out a team season high 11 batters against UTEP on Saturday.

SOUTHERN MISS
GOLDEN EAGLES DOWN LIONS
Southern Miss went 1-1 last week, winning over Southeastern Louisiana. Kristin Chaney was 3-for-3 at the plate against the Lions, with a pair of doubles. That runs her total to a team-best seven.

TOUGH SCHEDULE
With the win against Southeastern Louisiana (19), Southern Miss surpassed its win total from last season (18). The Golden Eagles played their eighth nationally-ranked team in Louisiana-Lafayette last week.

TULSA
YARMER LEADS TU
Kailey Yarmer led TU last week, going 4-for-10 (.400) including a .700 slugging percentage and a .400 on-base percentage. She went 2-for-3 against UAB in Saturday's opening game, including the game-winning triple that produced her team's first two runs. Yarmer has improved her batting average over 22 points in the last seven games by getting at least one hit in five of them.

KINARD SOLID AGAIN
Tulsa pitcher Jordan Kinard struck out 12 UAB batters in the first game in the series in a 2-1 TU win. She then pitched six and two-third innings of shutout softball in the series finale. She tallied 21 strikeouts in 14.2 innings of work last week.

UAB
SIX CONSECUTIVE ONE-RUN GAMES
The Blazers set a new team record this week playing six consecutive one-run games. UAB finished 2-4 in that period that including two one-run losses to Chattanooga, a loss to Mississippi Valley State and a loss and two wins against Tulsa. The streak passed the 2005 mark of five one-run games played.

KRZAN SETS NEW RUNS TOTAL
Holly Krzan became the Blazers' all-time runs scored leader Saturday when she scored on wild pitch in the series opener against Tulsa. She now has 117 for her career. The senior passed former Blazer Cliffanie Engram who scored 114 times in her career. Krzan also set a season-high (31) for runs scored in a season over the weekend.

UCF
KIME TIME
Senior hurler Allison Kime needs only one more strikeout to reach 700 in her career at UCF, currently holding 699. Kime set a program-record in her first season as a Knight in 2006, fanning 222 batters during the season, before eclipsing that mark last year when she totaled 244 Ks. The senior has 211 strikeouts through 47 games this season, averaging 7.7 Ks per seven innings and still has 14 regular-season games left to play on the schedule. Kime has recorded 10 strikeouts or more, which includes four 10+ strikeout performances in her last five starts. Her 15 strikeouts in seven innings vs. Vermont was a career-high for seven innings of work.

MULTI-HIT JAVIER
Multiple-hit games are becoming second nature for Breanne Javier in 2008, as the junior's two-hit performance in the win over No. 9 Houston on Sunday was her 15th game of 2008 posting two or more hits. Of the Knights' 47 total games played this season, Javier has tallied 19 multiple-hit games, including a career-high four-hit performance against East Carolina on March 8,.

UTEP
TOWNSEND Ks 12
UTEP's Stacie Townsend, who was the losing pitcher in the first game with Memphis, struck out every batter in the order at least once to post a career-high 12 strikeouts. She gave up one run on six hits and allowed four walks. Townsend retired eight-straight to open the first game before allowing a runner on base. In the game, the Miners out hit Memphis 10-9 but left 13 runners stranded, 11 in scoring position.

UTEP vs UCF
The Miners return home to take on UCF in a three-game series beginning with a doubleheader on April 12. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m on Saturday. The Knights swept the series against the Miners in 2007 in Orlando.

AROUND THE HORN
EAST CAROLINA
East Carolina (25-18, 5-6) faltered at home on Sunday, dropping a doubleheader to Marshall 6-3 and 5-3 at the ECU Softball Field. The Herd took a 6-0 lead over the span of the sixth and seventh innings, aided by six hits and a Pirate error in game one. The Pirates mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh. With the bases loaded and one out, Beth Nolan drew a walk for the Pirates' first run. Then, Angel Barrella singled to center, bringing home Paige Baggett to make the score 6-2. ECU would plate one more run on a fielder's choice play but that was all it could manage before the final two outs. Marshall jumped on top 3-0 in the second game in the top of the first. The Pirates would tie the game with one run in the bottom of the first and two in the bottom of the third. Jessica Johnson accounted for two RBI singles while Marshall was credited with an error on a failed pickoff attempt, allowing ECU to score. The Herd scored the winning runs in the top of the fifth. East Carolina remains at home this week, welcoming UNC Wilmington to the ECU Softball Field for a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday.

HOUSTON
No. 9 Houston (32-5, 10-1) defeated UCF, 5-1, Saturday to take the first game of the C-USA series in Orlando. The second game of the scheduled double-header was halted due to rain and concluded on Sunday. The Cougars got on the board first in the second inning of the first game. Freshman Jennifer Klinkert reached base first for Houston after being hit by a pitch. She would advance to third on two straight wild pitches by UCF pitcher Allison Kime and eventually score on a single by junior Laurie Wagner. Wagner took her turn around the bases moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior Amanda Grote then scoring on a single by senior Angel Shamblin. The Cougars tacked on three more runs in the seventh to grab the win. Houston dropped its first league game of 2008 when game two finished on Sunday. The Cougars dropped their first game every to UCF, 6-4. Houston will return home for a single game against the USA Olympic Team on April 8 at 7 p.m. at Memorial Park. The Cougars will then host Texas- San Antonio in a doubleheader on April 9 at 4 p.m.

MARSHALL
Marshall junior Kelly Nielson's two-run homer in the top of the fifth inning broke a 3-3 tie to edge the Herd past East Carolina (25-18, 5-6), 5-3 in game two of Sunday's Conference USA doubleheader. Tied at three with two outs and pinch runner Kristina Knecht on second, Nielson drove the first pitch of the count to left center resulting in her fourth home run of the season. Marshall (16-23, 6-7 C-USA) registered six hits in the contests, two of the six from its junior transfer shortstop Nielson. The Tucson, Ariz., native finished with four RBIs. Senior Rachel Folden had one hit in the game extending her current hitting streak to six games. After going five scoreless innings, the Herd rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth and added another three runs in the seventh to hang onto game one on Sunday with East Carolina, 6-3. Marshall's Samantha Rodriguez finished the game going 2-for-4 with a RBI, while Nielson recorded a triple with two RBIs. Marshall returns to action when it takes a break from conference play for a midweek doubleheader against Ohio, Wednesday.

MEMPHIS
In another strong outing by freshman Rayna McClinton, Memphis (19-19, 3-8) earned the three-game sweep over UTEP with a 5-1 victory on Sunday at the Tiger Softball Complex. McClinton (4-3) allowed one run on four hits for her second victory in as many days. The Columbia, S.C., native struck out three and walked eight, but pitched out of several jams as UTEP stranded 13 runners on base. Junior second baseman Tori Gross led the team with a 2-for-3 performance and knocked in her fourth RBI of the series with a single in the second. Snapping a program worst eight-game losing streak, Memphis won both games of a doubleheader to open a three-game series with UTEP on Saturday. Dominant performances in the circle for Memphis provided the legwork for the U of M. The Tigers outscored the Miners 7-2 in the two games and walked three with 17 strikeouts, while allowing 10 hits. Freshman Kimber Bossom (8-8) earned her third shutout of the season to open the day. The Tigers will next play a mid-week doubleheader at UT Martin on Wednesday, April 9 at 2 and 4 p.m. in Martin, Tenn.

SOUTHERN MISS
No. 19 Louisiana-Lafayette scored two runs in the top of the fifth inning in getting past Southern Miss (19-20, 4-8), 2-0, Thursday night at the USM Softball Complex. Meghan Harbuck (2-6) took the loss, giving up six hits. Brittney Pigott and Megan Hill recorded the Golden Eagles hits, both singles. Southern Miss defeated Southeastern Louisiana in a mid-week game, 3-1. Samantha Davis notched her 10 victory of the season, pitching her 11th complete game and allowing only one run. Jenna Yoder (7-6) took the loss for the Southeastern (22-12). Kristin Chaney was 3-of-3 from the plate and Kristin Pilgrim was 2-of-3 with two doubles.The Golden Eagles return to action on April 10, when they travel to Oxford, Miss., to face Ole Miss in a mid-week game before heading to Memphis, April 12-13, for a C-USA weekend series.

TULSA
Tulsa (21-18, 8-7) could not catch a break in the late innings of Sunday's series finale at UAB, as the Blazers took advantage of some very timely hitting for a 3-2 come-from-behind victory in eight innings. The Golden Hurricane scored first, with a run in the top of the third inning, but could not hold on for the victory. TTU split a pair of games for the seventh time this season on Saturday. Tulsa defeated UAB 2-1, in the first game of a three game series with the Blazers. However, UAB used a pair of home runs, including a three-run shot in the bottom of the sixth inning to take Saturday's nightcap, 6-5. Kailey Yarmer led TU last week, going 4-for-10 (.400) including a .700 slugging percentage and a .400 on-base percentage. Tulsa is scheduled to return to the friendly confines of the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex on Wednesday, April 9, to host former Missouri Valley Conference foe Wichita State in a doubleheader.

UAB
UAB (20-25, 7-8) came through in the clutch twice Sunday afternoon, rallying from one-run deficits in the seventh and eighth innings with two outs, to defeat Tulsa, 3-2. UAB won the final two games to take the series. Seniors Holly Krzan and Jennifer Nelson delivered the key hits for the Blazers. Both of the rallies came with two outs and the Blazers trailing by one run. Krzan singled home Mary Kendall Butler to tie the game in the seventh. Nelson delivered a two-run double that scored the winning run in the eighth. Nelson (11-17) earned the victory by scattering six hits and allowing one earned run over eight innings. The one-run win was the second in a row for UAB, who defeated Tulsa 3-2 Saturday on a Leigh Walker two-run home run in the bottom of sixth inning. Sunday's game was the sixth consecutive one-run contest for the Blazers, who dropped four to start the streak. The Blazers conclude their season-long home stand Thursday evening when they host Western Kentucky for a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m.

UCF
Allison Kime went a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI to lead UCF (32-15, 10-4) to a 6-4 upset over No. 9 Houston at the UCF Softball Complex Sunday afternoon. The senior also picked up the win in the circle for the Knights, allowing three earned runs on eight hits, while striking out five in six innings of relief. The win boosted Kime's record to 19-8 on the season and 8-2 in Conference USA play, while also snapping the Cougars' seven-game winning streak. The UCF victory was also the first all-time against Houston. Breanne Javier had two hits and a run scored for UCF, while Ashley Van Ryn registered a hit and two RBI. Hillary Barrow and Cat Snapp each added a RBI for the home team in the win. The Cougars defeated UCF, 5-1, on Saturday. The Knights stay at home for a pair of non-conference games mid-week, hosting Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday at 5 p.m., and Florida State in a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

UTEP
UTEP (23-17, 4-8) dropped its final game of a three- game road series at Memphis, 5-1, on Sunday. Jennifer Davis was 3-for-3 in the outting, with a walk and scored the Miners's only run. Stacie Townsend was the losing pitcher, falling to 10-8 on the season. She allowed five runs on six hits, struck out four batters and walked three. Nichole Tunget, who came in relief, tossed two and two thirds innings of play and had four strikeouts. The Miners combined for five hits and drew eight walks but struggled to bring runners home, leaving 12 on base. UTEP dropped both ends of a doubleheader, falling 1-0 and 6-2, to Memphis on Saturday. Townsend, who was the losing pitcher in the first game, struck out every batter in the order at least once to post a career-high 12 strikeouts. She gave up one run on six hits and allowed four walks. The Miners return home to take on UCF in a three game series beginning with a doubleheader on April 12. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.