BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State softball returns to the mountain for the 2018 home opener on Saturday, March 3, with a doubleheader against Tennessee Tech starting at 1 p.m. at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium.
"The team has been waiting to be on our home turf for the first time this year and play someone different than ourselves here. It's always exciting to play in front of our home crowd. There is a lot of energy surrounding our program right now, and we look forward to sharing our excitement with the Boone community," Head Coach
Shelly Hoerner said.
With a win this past weekend at the UNCG Invitational, the Mountaineers brought their overall record to 4-10, including a 4-0 complete game shutout from pitcher
Annaleise Kennedy.
Kenzie Longanecker contributed an eight-strikeout performance against the Virginia Cavaliers, a season high in strikeouts for Longanecker.
Julianna Roupas and
Katie Williford limited the UNCG Spartans to four hits in the final game of the weekend.
The Apps look to continue solid pitching in the circle to take two at home from the Golden Eagles on Saturday. In series history, App State is 3-4 with Tennessee Tech. Their last meeting resulted in a 14-4 win for the Mountaineers in 2012.
When looking at the two competitors, the offensive statistics for both teams are comparable, but the Mountaineers' defense rises above the Golden Eagles. The Mountaineers have allowed 71 runs on the season while the Golden Eagles have allowed 119. App State has also allowed less hits with 105, as opposed to Tennessee Tech's 128 hits. The App State pitching staff holds a stronger ERA at 3.93. Tennessee Tech's pitching staff maintains a 9.86 ERA. App State has only committed one error in the past three games.
Sophomore Raegan Sparks tops the Golden Eagles' offense with a .371 batting average. Sparks has 13 hits in 35 at bats with three home runs. Taylor Waldrop, a senior right-handed pitcher, has thrown 45 2/3 innings for the Golden Eagles for a 2-4 record. She has thirty strikeouts, 56 allowed hits and a 5.91 ERA to lead Tennessee Tech.
Keep up with live tweet updates by following @AppStateSB on Twitter.
For the full softball schedule, click
here.
