Northwestern at Mount Marty

• PREVIEW
• BOXSCORE

Game Time... The Northwestern College softball team resumes conference play tonight as they head to Yankton, S.D. to play Mount Marty in a GPAC doubleheader beginning at 5:00 pm. The Red Raiders are 0-2 in the GPAC, 1-13 overall while the host Lancers are 2-2 in conference play, 7-8 overall.

All-Time...Northwestern is 19-1 all-time against Mount Marty (since 1996), including a pair of wins last year in Orange City, 6-3 and 16-6 (5 innings). The Red Raiders have won 11 straight games and have not lost since an 8-1 setback in 2004.

Last Time Out... The Red Raiders went 0-4 this past weekend at the Morningside Invitational, losing to Valley City State, Bellevue, Jamestown and College of Saint Mary. Offensively, Northwestern averaged two runs per game over the weekend, hitting .234 as a team. Heidi Esdohr hit a team-best .385 with five hits in 11 at-bats and two runs scored. Kami Kuhlmann hit .364 while both Shelby Johnson and Rachel Harris hit .286 for the week. Kuhlmann and Jessica Hooper led the pitching staff, boasting ERA's of 3.50 and 1.75 respectively.

Mount Marty swept past Dakota State in a non-conference doubleheader yesterday, defeating the Lady T's 9-2 and 4-0. Abby Dickes belted a two-run single in the second inning that gave the Lancers a 3-2 lead. Brittany Bruns earned the win on the mound, pitching seven innings and allowing two runs. Erica Loutsch pitched a complete-game four hitter in the night-cap for the Lancers.

About Mount Marty...The Lancers come into tonight's contest with a 2-2 conference record, 7-8 overall. In their most recent games, Mount Marty split with Mayville State, opened GPAC play with a sweep over USF (1-0, 4-2), lost to Doane (2-1, 2-1) and defeated Dakota State last time out, 9-2 and 4-0. They were picked to finish 13th in the GPAC preseason coaches' poll after finishing the 2009 season with a 1-23 GPAC record, 2-34 overall. Head Coach Albert Fernandez, in his fifth year with the Lancers, returns 16 letterwinners from the 2009 season.

Mount Marty averages just over three runs per game, hitting .242 as a team and 25-of-27 in stolen bases. Defensively, the Lancers pitching staff boasts an ERA of 3.60, giving up 4.3 runs per game.

Coach Fernandez's squad is led by sophomore infielder Emily Girard who leads the team with a .333 batting average and five runs scored. Amanda Soehl (.318) and Kassie Loe (.300) are also among the top hitters with Loe driving in a team-high six RBIs. Lexi Cihak, a three-time honorable mention all-GPAC pick, is hitting .267 and Katrina Kirby has a .250 average. The pitching staff is led by Brittany Bruns with a 4-2 record and 4.10 ERA. Erica Loutsch is 2-3 with an ERA over eight. Senior Amanda Kneifl, the Lancers' top pitcher returning from last year, has yet to pitch due to injury.

Red Raider News and Notes...Offensively, Northwestern is averaging 2.7 runs per game, hitting .259 this season. Four Red Raiders are hitting over .300, led by junior Rachel Harris who is hitting a team-best .442. Harris is tied for the team-lead with six runs scored and has four extra-base hits and a team best five stolen bases. Jessica Hooper is hitting .333, as is Ashley Evans. Hooper has a pair of RBIs. Kami Kuhlmann is hitting .313 with two doubles since joining the team after the basketball season. Shelby Johnson (.286) and Sara Curry (.231) are the top run producers with seven and five RBIs, respectively.

The Northwestern pitching staff is giving up 7.2 runs per game with opponents hitting .372 against them. Kami Kuhlmann is 0-3 with a 5.15 ERA while Jessica Bostwick is 1-6 with 5.87 ERA.

Up Next... Northwestern returns to the diamond tomorrow as they play host to Waldorf in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 5:00 pm.