CU Softball Preview - at St. Lawrence (4/23)

At the midway point of the conference slate, the Clarkson University Softball team finds itself in a good position for its first ever postseason appearance, but a solid weekend against St. Lawrence would go a long way in securing the Golden Knights a spot in the Liberty League Tournament in early May.

The Golden Knights come into the game with a record of 16-12 overall and 5-1 in the Liberty League, while St. Lawrence enters at 15-7 overall and 3-3. The Saints will play Skidmore on Saturday before hosting Clarkson on Sunday, while the Golden Knights have just the two games at St. Lawrence.

Clarkson's offense hasn't been as explosive as previous seasons, scoring more than six runs only twice since returning from Florida, a stretch of 12 games. However, the Knights have still posted a winning record over that time thanks to the pitching of Jamie Bridge. The senior righty is posting stingy numbers since returning from Florida, allowing only a .179/.218/.236 line in 40.2 innings. Over that stretch she has struck out 43 hitters and allowed only 25 hits (four for extra bases) with five walks and a 0.69 earned run average. Junior Raeanna Dunn has also broken out of an early season slump, batting .412 since the team returned from Florida. Bridge (.367/.396/.422) and Dunn (.322/.392/.367) along with Summer Lancette (.326/.408/.488) create a formidable top of the lineup with 30 stolen bases in 35 tries. In the middle of the order, Michele Winn and Ali Schwenzfeier have combined for 10 home runs and 45 runs batted in.

St. Lawrence enters the weekend with eight of its nine starters hitting .300 or better, including a pair over .400, and the team is batting .336 as a team. However, the numbers get a little more ordinary once the team returned from its 12-game Florida trip. While down south, the Saints batted .358 (116-for-324) with nine home runs and only 17 stolen bases and only 31 strikeouts (one whiff for every 10.45 at bats). In the 10 games since returning north, St. Lawrence has hit a still solid .311 (88-for-283), but has only three home runs and three stolen bases against 46 strikeouts (one for every 6.15 at bats).

Angelina Carney leads the Saints in hitting at .422/.490/.556, though she has done so in limited time with just 45 at bats and 51 plate appearances overall. Elle Gray is St. Lawrence's other .400 hitter, providing the Saints with a slash line of .406/.488/.594 and a team-best 25 runs batted in. Gray and Emma Reakes each have hit three home runs for St. Lawrence. The top hurler for St. Lawrence is Madison Mitchell, and the freshman has struck out 78 hitters in 69 innings with a 3.25 earned run average. Mitchell has tossed half of St. Lawrence's innings this year, with the other three pitchers combining for 42 strikeouts in 69 innings.

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Players Mentioned

#6 Jamie Bridge: P/OF; 5' 4"; Senior; R/R

#5 Raeanna Dunn: IF; 5' 4"; Junior; L/R

#14 Summer Lancette: OF; 5' 2"; Junior; L/R

#13 Ali Schwenzfeier: UT; 5' 4"; Senior; R/R

#3 Michele Winn: C/IF; 5' 6"; Freshman; L/L

Players Mentioned

#6 Jamie Bridge
: 5' 4"; Senior; R/R
: P/OF

#5 Raeanna Dunn
: 5' 4"; Junior; L/R
: IF

#14 Summer Lancette
: 5' 2"; Junior; L/R
: OF

#13 Ali Schwenzfeier
: 5' 4"; Senior; R/R
: UT

#3 Michele Winn
: 5' 6"; Freshman; L/L
: C/IF