Ladies look to sweep Mansfield

What: Kutztown Golden Bears @ Mansfield Mountaineers
When: Wednesday April 16, 2008 @ 2 p.m. (Doubleheader)
Where: Helen Lutes Field on the campus of Mansfield University

Game Info
The KU softball team will head into Wednesday afternoon’s doubleheader at Mansfield as the top team in the PSAC East with an impressive 13-1 record. At 36-6 overall, the Golden Bears are ranked 10^th in the nation and are second in the region behind second-ranked Lock Haven. In the East, they currently lead second place Bloomsburg (8-4) by three games and are well ahead of Shippensburg (7-7), West Chester (6-8), Millersville (5-9), East Stroudsburg (5-9), and Mansfield (4-10). With 10 games to play including Wednesday, KU is still far from clinching a division title and still needs a few more wins to clinch a playoff berth.

The Golden Bears enter the game fresh off a weekend sweep of West Chester and Millersville. KU beat WCU 4-0 and 4-2 at home on Friday before beating Millersville 8-0 and 1-0 at North Campus Field on Saturday.

The Mounties enter the game at 10-13 overall this season and are last in the division at 4-10. They are coming off Monday’s doubleheader split with West Chester in which they lost game one 5-1 before taking game two 3-2.

The team’s met earlier this season in Kutztown on March 29. Both games were close, but it was the Golden Bears who managed to take 4-3 wins in both contests.

Probable Starting Lineups
Kutztown:
1. Kim Morrison – 2B
2. Maria Schiavo – LF
3. Steph Denlinger – 1B
4. Ashley Fitzgerald – CA/DH
5. Krista Cameron – 3B
6. Maggie Reifsnyder – RF
7. Caitlin Hague – CA/DH
8. Krista Tedjeske – SS
9. Kathy Gregg – CF
SPs: Kait Arbogast & Monica Glomb/Mary Hoch

Mansfield:
1. Shana Markwis – LF
2. Janelle Antes – 2B
3. Jess Christ – SS
4. Gabriella Carrullo – DH
5. Jen Stein – CA
6. Nicole Yost – RF
7. Megan Trutt – CF
8. Amanda Lewis – 1B
9. Sarah Cullen – 3B
SPs: Whitney Brown & Lindsey Knapp

Scouting Report
As usual, the Golden Bears have a much better lineup and pitching staff. Coach Judy Lawes will likely look to Kait Arbogast to pitch one of the games and to either Mary Hoch or Monica Glomb in the other. Since Glomb started game one on Saturday and Arbogast threw three innings in game two, I’d imagine Arbogast and Hoch will be the starters.

2B Kim Morrison has picked it up as of late after a mid-season slump and will continue to set the table along with two-hitter LF Maria Schiavo. 1B Steph Denlinger, CA/SS Ashley Fitzgerald, and 3B Krista Cameron will anchor the heart of the order with RF Maggie Reifsnyder beginning to heat up in the six spot. Caitlin Hague is the favorite to bat seventh and play designated hitter in one game and catch the other. SS Krista Tedjeske has struggled as of late, which was dropped her from sixth to eight in the lineup. CF Kathy Gregg is excellent out of the nine spot.

Mansfield is expected to throw Whitney Brown and Lindsey Knapp at Kutztown. Brown leads the team in starts, while Knapp is tops in ERA and strikeouts (56).

Jess Christ leads the team in batting average and is second in RBIs. Megan Trutt and Nicole Yost are the only other regulars hitting over .300. Janelle Antes has scored a team-high 17 runs, while Shana Markwis has a team-best 13 RBIs. Antes, Markwis, and Jen Stein have each hit two homers, tops on the team.

(New rankings as well as updated player stats will be added tonight or Wednesday morning)