BOONE, N.C. – The App State softball team hits the road for the final time during the regular season, hopping on a flight to Texas to take on UTA in a three-game series. The Mountaineers are 24-13 on the season with a 6-8 mark in Sun Belt play.
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About the Mountaineers
App State fell in two close Sun Belt Conference games on Sunday, taking a 3-2 loss to Troy in game one and an 8-6 loss in game two. With the wins, Troy moved to 32-10, 15-3 in the conference. The first game was a defensive battle as two of the top pitchers in the Sun Belt faced off with Troy's Leanna Johnson and App State's
Kenzie Longanecker in the circle. The second game was a back-and-forth affair with four lead changes. The Trojans were able to score two runs in the top of the seventh to secure the series win.
Freshman
Kayt Houston had a solid week at the plate, finishing her four games with a .545 average with six hits, including three doubles and one home run. Against ETSU, the freshman went 5-for-7 in her two games played, hitting three doubles and tallying an RBI. Against Troy, Houston hit a two-run shot in the first game to give the Mountaineers the first lead of the game. She finished the weekend with a .643 on base percentage and a 1.091 slugging percentage with three RBIs.
Longanecker remains steady in the circle for the Mountaineers, allowing only three runs on four hits against Troy, striking out one. She is now 12-5 on the year. She leads App State in ERA with a 2.19 and strikeouts with 62. Her ERA is ranked 6
th in the Sun Belt and strikeouts are ranked seventh.
Sun Belt Standings
The Mountaineers are currently the fifth-place team in the Sun Belt with a 6-8 record. UTA is one spot behind, recording a 7-10 record in the Sun Belt so far. Louisiana currently leads the conference with a 16-2 record but Troy is close behind at 15-3. The Mountaineers final regular season opponent, Coastal Carolina, currently has a 7-11 record, making the next six games for App State crucial for Tournament seeding.
Super Seniors
App State's six 5
th year seniors have played an important role in the team's success so far this season. Along with Longanecker,
Sydney Holland has a 7-4 record in the circle with a 3.21 ERA. At the plate,
Gabby Buruato ranks third in batting average in .362 and leads the team in hits with 42, including three triples.
Keri White,
Caylie Kifer and
Sidney Russell anchor the Mountaineer defense that has turned a conference-high 24 double plays this season.
Scouting UTA
With a 14-28 overall record, the Mavericks have tallied Sun Belt wins over Louisiana (game two), ULM (series sweep), Georgia State (games two and three) and South Alabama (game two). KJ Murphy leads UTA at the plate, hitting .413 on the season with 52 hits including 12 doubles and five home runs. Jessica Carreon isn't far behind with a .330 average, tallying 32 hits. In the circle, JoJo Valencia, Laura Henriksen and Allie Gardiner have each seen significant time in the circle. Valencia is the leader of the group with a 2.90 ERA and a 3-6 record.
