Softball Concludes Regular Season Slate
Apr 30 | Softball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (April 30, 2015) -- Concluding its regular season slate, Rutgers softball welcomes Wisconsin for a three-game series beginning on Friday, May 1 at 3 p.m.
SERIES AT PENN STATE
GAME 1: Friday, May 1 at 3 p.m. -- | BTN Plus
GAME 2: Saturday, May 2 at 1 p.m. -- | BTN Plus
GAME 3: Sunday, May 3 at Noon --
PROMOTIONS
Friday's contest is slated as Father Daughter Date Night. The team invites all fathers to join their daughters in attendance on field for a post-game catch. The catch will last 20 minutes and all participants must bring their own balls and gloves.
Senior Day and Alumni Day is set for the second game of the series on Saturday. The program will honor seniors Jackie Bates (Lincroft, N.J.), Chandler Howard (North Wilmington, Del.) and Alyssa Landrith (Vacaville, Calif.) with a pre-game ceremony.
The Scarlet Knights also encourage fans to wear gray to Saturday's contest for the "Gray Out" game. RU has joined forces with the Friends of Jaclyn for Cancer Awareness Day and will dedicate the contest to the team's sister, JaDa.
RU'S LAST TIME OUT
Rutgers (28-17, 10-10 Big Ten) picked up two victories in midweek action, defeating LIU-Brooklyn in five-innings with a score of 18-9 on Tuesday and shutting out Iona with a 10-0 mark on Wednesday. RU went unbeaten in midweek matchups this year.
Bates paced the squad with four home runs across both contests, including a total of nine RBIs. The senior slugger owns the single-season records for most homers (21) and RBIs (52). Bates is Rutgers' all-time leader with 39 career long balls. The New Jersey native is also second in the record books with 141 career RBIs and is just four RBIs shy of tying for the first-place spot.
In the circle, sophomore Shayla Sweeney (Barrington, N.J.) and junior Dresden Maddox (Kennesaw, Ga.) each earned a victory in RU's wins. Sweeney was credited the win against LIU, while Maddox shutout Iona. Senior Alyssa Landrith (Vacaville, Calif.) recorded the seventh save of her career, entering in the sixth inning to protect a 3-0 lead against Gaels. Landrith ranks second on Rutgers' career saves list.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
Wisconsin (19-30, 3-16 Big Ten) was swept in a midweek doubleheader against No. 19/13 Minnesota on Wednesday afternoon, falling by scores of 7-2 and 12-1. UW carries a seven-game skid into the weekend series, which also includes three losses to Nebraska and two of three at Illinois.
Maria Van Abel leads the Badgers with a .388 batting average, which includes a team-high 64 hits and 42 runs. Chloe Miller follows, batting at a .360 clip with a team-best 43 RBIs.
In the circle, Taylor-Paige Stewart paces the staff with a 5.32 ERA and 20 complete game performances. She owns a win-loss record of 8-17 on the season. Mariah Watts is next with a 5.39 ERA and an 8-9 overall record.
The Badgers are led by fifth-year head coach Yvette Healy.
SERIES VS. WISCONSIN
Rutgers leads Wisconsin, 2-1, in the all-time series between the programs. Most recently, tthe Scarlet Knights grabbed an 8-5 victory in 2010. It marks the first meeting between the squads as conference opponents.
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