BATON ROUGE, La. -- After last night's well-played 2-1 setback against #18 LSU behind them, the Fairfield University softball team will need to turn toward today's game against McNeese State University as the two teams play an elimination game this afternoon. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:30 pm ET.
The Stags received another fine pitching performance from junior Destinee Pallotto, who yielded only two unearned runs in her six innings of work. The right-hander has not allowed an earned run in 31 consecutive innings with Marist being the last team to scratch an earned run across in the third inning of Fairfield's 5-3 win on May 10. And, she surpassed the century mark in strikeouts in the game, entering today's action with 101 and becoming the seventh pitcher in the MAAC to accomplish the task this year.
Head Coach Julie Brzezinski exhausted her bench in terms of position players against LSU on Friday night. Only four pitchers did not see action against the Tigers as Coach Brzezinski four pinch hitters (Makenna DiGuilio, Kate Robinson, Lacey Olaff, and Hannah Futo) in addition to one pinch runner (Cynthia Meringer). Fairfield used 14 position players against LSU, the most since using the same number against FIU in a 10-3 loss on February 15.
Fairfield hitters struck out just once in the LSU game, the least amount of strikeouts in this year's postseason play. The Stags last fanned just one time in a game during its 9-3 win over Quinnipiac in the regular-season finale, a win which earned the team its bid to the MAAC tournament as the number six seed. During this year's MAAC tournament, Fairfield averaged just under six strikeouts per game (23 Ks in four games).
McNeese went hitless its first game in the Baton Rouge Regional, falling by a 6-0 score to #13 UL-Lafayette. The Cowboys have a very potent offense that averaged six runs and nearly eight hits per game over their 59 games. The team brings a 42-17 overall record into today's game which includes an impressive 24-3 Southland Conference record.
Justyce McClain represents the team's top hitter with a .439 batting average, a number which is aided by her team-best 69 hits in 59 games. Erika Piancastelli has been the team's top run producer this year, scoring 55 times while driving in an additional 48 runs from the batter's box. Piancastelli is also the team's top home run hitter with 12.
The pitching staff is anchored by Rachel Smith, who has won 17 of her 24 decisions this year. Alexsandra Flores (1.50 ERA) and Baylee Corbello (3.16 ERA) both have double-digit win totals with 11.
