May 1, 2008

ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio softball team will play its last four games of the season this weekend against Bowling Green and Toledo at the Ohio Softball Field.

Fri. - vs. Bowling Green (DH), 1/3 p.m.
Sat. - vs. Toledo, 2 p.m.
Sun. - vs. Toledo, 1 p.m.

Multimedia
Live stats are available via OhioBobcats.com.

Senior Day
Sunday is Senior Day at the Ohio Softball Field. Seniors Alicia Catlette, Maureen McKelvey, Amanda Sacks, Kristen Salvatore, Michelle Sauter and Courtney Waters will play at home for the last time.

Series Information
Ohio is 32-49 all-time vs. Bowling Green and 27-32 all-time vs. Toledo. Last season, the Bobcats dropped a twinbill to the Falcons on their home field, 5-12 and 4-5, respectively. The `Cats swept a doubleheader with the Rockets in Athens, 8-0 and 6-1, respectively.

A Look at the `Cats (22-23, 7-11 MAC)
Ohio is fourth in the MAC East with a .389 conference winning percentage. The Bobcats are batting .254 in MAC play, which is sixth best overall and pitching a 2.74 ERA, which is seventh best in the conference standings.

Sophomore Shalene Petrich has a team-best batting average in both overall and conference only games, batting .348 and .362 respectively. Petrich is on a season-best 10-game hitting streak, while averaging 1.09 hits per game. During conference play, Petrich has scored a team-high nine runs and has a team-high 21 hits.

Freshman Melissa Bonner also bats above .300 in conference play. Bonner has a .348 batting average with eight hits, including four doubles and six RBI. On the overall season, Bonner totals a team-best 22 RBI and is second on the team with a .333 batting average.

Senior Courtney Waters has scored the most of any player this season with 34 runs. She is second on the team with nine stolen bases, following Petrich who has 12. Waters has a .319 batting average, connecting on 46 hits, including five doubles, three triples and a home run. She has been walked 22 times and hit by a pitch twice.

Ohio's pitching trio of senior Michelle Sauter, freshman Emily Wethington and sophomore Candace Saucedo combine for 213 strikeouts. Sauter has 90 strikeouts and is Ohio's all-time strikeouts leader with 398 in her career. With 108 strikeouts, Wethington is the first freshman since Zoe Heim in 2005 (105) to reach Ohio's single-season records list. Saucedo has a team-best 1.93 ERA in 11 appearances. She has pitched 32.2 innings and has struck out 15 batters.

Scouting Bowling Green (15-10, 12-3)
Bowling Green is second in the MAC East with a .800 winning percentage. The Falcons are seventh in the MAC with a .253 batting average and are fifth in pitching with a 2.30 team ERA.

Junior Hayley Wiemer was named the MAC East Pitcher of the Week and is undefeated in conference play with a 10-0 record. Wiemer has made 23 appearances and has pitched nine complete games for 120 innings total. She has struck out 100 batters and has a 2.04 ERA.

Four players are batting above .300 for the Falcons, including Dawnjene Delong (.343), Allison Vallas (.330), Missy Bowman (.324), and Wiemer (.308). Delong also leads the team with 23 runs scored and 37 hits, including eight doubles and three home runs.

Scouting Toledo (15-25, 4-12 MAC)
The Rockets will face Akron in a doubleheader on Friday before the two-day series with Ohio. Toledo is sixth in the MAC West with a .250 winning percentage. The Rockets have lost their last three games and are eighth in the MAC standings with a .252 batting average and 11th with a 4.93 team ERA.

Leslie Stong's team-high .353 batting average is fifth best in the MAC. Stong leads the team with 41 hits, including five doubles and 25 RBI. Erica Singer bats .352 and has a team-high 25 runs. She has eight doubles, four triples and three home runs. Lacey Levier bats .345 on the season, including 12 doubles, 17 RBI and two home runs.