FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- With the final 10 days of the regular season left on the schedule, the Fairfield University softball team is gearing up for the stretch run. Only Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC games remain on the schedule including two doubleheaders with teams that are in the hunt for a spot in the four-team MAAC tournament which begins on May 11.
The first of those two twinbills occurs on Sunday, April 29 when Fairfield hosts Rider University at Alumni Softball Field on the Fairfield campus. The Broncs hold a slight advantage in the MAAC standings with a 5-3 conference record, compared to the Stags' 6-4 mark. But, Rider will face another MAAC tournament contender on Saturday when it hosts Siena College, which currently stands at 6-2 in the conference which is good enough for a first-place tie with Marist College.
Before the first pitch on Sunday, the team has designated the date as Breast Cancer Awareness Day. There will be pre-game ceremony with an honorary first pitch as well as a bake sale to help raise funds for breast cancer awareness initiatives.
The Broncs bring an 18-27-1 overall record into the weekend with 14 of those 18 wins recorded from the arm of Rachael Matreale. The right-hander owns a 16-10 overall record with 26 of her 28 appearances coming as the starter. She has 176 strikeouts in 181 innings and has a near three-to-one strikeout to walk ratio (176 strikeouts, 69 walks).
Offensively, Rider relies on the bat of Allysen Breeden, who is one of two student-athletes to start every game for the Broncs. Breeden owns a .313 batting average with team-highs in both home runs (3) and RBI (26). She also leads the team with 13 walks, adding up to a .391 on-base percentage. Gina McCool is the only other Rider student-athlete to start every game and is the owner of a .266 hitting percentage with six doubles and 10 RBI. Alyssa Paul is also enjoying a solid season with two homers, 15 RBI, and a .262 batting average.
Fairfield comes off a 4-0 loss to the University of Massachusetts on the road, the team's final non-conference game of the 2012 campaign. The setback evened up the Stags' overall record at 24-24.
Lauren Liseth continues her torrid pace from the batter's box, hitting .373 over the last 20 games (25 hits, 67 at-bats). Her offensive surge raised her batting average to .291 overall with a team-high 14 extra-base hits. She has six doubles, three triples, and five home runs which translate into a .473 slugging percentage. Defensively, Liseth has thrown out 22 of 39 base stealers, including four of the last five that have attempted to steal a base.
Rae Ball is tied with Liseth for the team lead with 30 RBI, although Ball is tops among her teammates with eight home runs. She is hitting .260 overall with a .496 slugging percentage. The right-hander is also having success in the pitching circle with an 11-9 record and a 3.43 ERA.
Rebecca Trott is the team's leader with 13 wins, posting two shutouts with a 2.49 ERA. Her overall record is 13-13 while her MAAC mark stands at 3-2 with a 1.86 ERA. Trott is also the team leader with 121 strikeouts in 157.1 innings pitched.
After the Rider doubleheader, Fairfield finishes up the regular season next weekend by heading to Manhattan College for a doubleheader on May 5 and hosting Siena College for a twinbill on May 6. The May 6 game will also serve as senior day as the team will honor the Class of 2012.
