Rutgers Softball Closes Out Regular Season Against Pittsburgh
May 07 | Softball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (May 7, 2010) - In a must-win series, Rutgers softball closes out the regular season this weekend against Pittsburgh with three games Saturday-Sunday, May 8-9 at the RU Softball Complex. Saturday's doubleheader will start at noon and is Parents' Day; while Sunday's single game will serve as Senior Day for lone senior Nicole Lindley (Cicero, N.Y.).
If the Scarlet Knights win all three games, the squad punches their ticket to the BIG EAST Championship for the first time since 1998. If RU wins the series, it will need help from other teams in the conference.
Rutgers trails Pittsburgh in the all-time series by a 10-13 mark. The two squads have split the last two doubleheaders. Last season, the Scarlet Knights lost 3-0 in game one before rallying to defeat the Panthers 6-5 in game two. In the win, Jen Meinheit (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) and Mandy Craig (Manassas, Va.) each went 2-for-4 and Mickenzie Alden (Spokanke, Wash.) drove in the winning run in the top of the eighth inning.
Rutgers (22-29, 7-11) won a 2-1 eight-inning battle against Long Island Tuesday, as sophomore Brittney Lindley (Cicero, N.Y.) tied Nikki Childress (2004) for the RU all-time single season home run record with her 12th blast of 2010 to tie the game in the seventh inning. The Scarlet Knights have won seven of their last 10 games, including taking the last two three-game series.
Brittney Lindley leads the Scarlet Knights with a .345 batting average, slugging at a .676 clip. The sophomore has also hit 12 home runs and has driven in 34 runs. She is currently on a five-game hitting streak and has had 12 multiple-hit (seven multiple RBI) contests.
In the BIG EAST standings, Lindley ranks fourth in home runs and slugging percentage, ninth in on-base percentage (.457), eighth in RBI and 12th in batting average.
Nicole Lindley leads the pitching corps, notching a team-best and career-high 112 strikeouts with a 3.41 ERA. Lindley also leads the team with 19 games started and 10 wins.
Pittsburgh (26-22, 9-9) split its final home games with Robert Morris Wednesday, losing game one 3-2 and defeating the Colonials 7-1 in the second contest. The Panthers are led by junior Ashley Amstade with a .331 batting average and 10 stolen bases.
At the helm of Pittsburgh is Holly Aprile in her second season as head coach. The former Massachusetts All-America standout led the panthers to their first winning season since 2006 last season. GAME NOTES
