DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica softball team will resume its 2013 schedule after a successful Spring Break trip just over two weeks ago by making the trek to Pella, Iowa to face off against perennial power Central College (Iowa) in a doubleheader on Friday. The Saints will then face the reigning 2012 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) regular season champions in UW-Eau Claire and a tough Minnesota Intercollegiate Athlete Conference (MIAC) opponent in Gustavus Adolphus on Saturday to end the weekend trip.
Game Schedule: (Game Day Media)
Friday vs. Central College– 2 p.m. (DH)
(Live Stats)
Saturday vs. UW-Eau Claire – 9 a.m.
Saturday vs. Gustavus Adolphus – 11 a.m.
*Games Played at the Lacey Recreation Complex in Oskaloosa, Iowa (
Directions)
About the Saints
Record: 6-6
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CSS was 6-4 in Clermont, Fla. in which the Saints went on a four-game winning streak early in the trip.
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Kara Warren (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Denfeld HS) leads the Saints with a .407 batting average and is second on the team with 11 hits.
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Jordan Spiering (Mounds View, Minn./Irondale HS) boasts a .385 batting average and leads the Saints in at bats (39), runs (8), hits (15), and total bases (20).
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Rendi Johnson (Bonney Lake, Wash./Bonney Lake HS) has the lone home run on the year for CSS, a game-winning grand slam against Denison University.
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The Saints as a team are batting .263 and have a .896 fielding percentage.
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Tracy Roach (East Grand Forks, Minn./Sacred Heart HS) leads the CSS bullpen with a 3.34 ERA and currently holds a 2-0 record.
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Tracy's sister, Darcy Roach (East Grand Forks, Minn./Sacred Heart HS), leads the pitching staff with 17 strikeouts.
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CSS's bullpen holds a 4.33 ERA and holds opponents to a .301 batting average.
About the Dutch
Record: 13-5
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The Dutch started the season 12-1, but were tripped up in Georgia going 2-4.
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Two players currently hit above .433 for Central College, combining for 49 hits and 35 runs.
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As a team the Dutch are hitting .316 from the plate.
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The Central College bullpen is strong again this year, boasting a 1.03 ERA and has 70 total strikeouts on the year.
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Three Dutch pitchers hold an ERA under 0.63.
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The Central College defense has a .967 fielding percentage and has a .667 base stealing percentage.
Series History: (CSS is 0-4 vs. Central)
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Central eliminated the Saints last year in the NCAA Regionals by a score of 10-2.
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The Dutch, ranked No. 5 in the nation coming into the game, plated four runs in the first two innings and held off the Saints to advance.
About the Blugolds
Record: 11-1
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UW-Eau Claire has started out hot this season going 2-0 in the Rosemount Dome and 9-1 in Florida.
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The Blugolds are the reigning 2012 WIAC regular season champions and were also in the NCAA tournament last year.
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Four Blugold players have a batting average above .350 while combing for 50 hits and 41 runs.
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The UWEC bullpen is strong on the mound, holding a 1.59 ERA and a combing 42 strikeouts.
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The Blugolds have a .948 fielding percentage, while committing only 19 errors on the year.
Series History: (CSS is 6-15 vs. UW-Eau Claire)
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The Saints and Blugolds were caught in a shootout last season with the Blugolds prevailing 11-10 in a frantic seventh inning comeback win.
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The Saints led for all seven innings until UWEC won on a walk-off single.
About the Gusties
Record: 3-5
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Gustavus went 3-5 on their Spring Break trip in Columbus, Ga.
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Five Gustie players currently bat above .333 and have combined for 28 hits and 24 total bases.
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The Gustie bullpen holds a 4.25 ERA, but have thrown 38 strikeouts and have not allowed a home run on the year.
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Gustavus boasts a .949 fielding percentage and has a .913 stolen base percentage.
Series History: (CSS is 3-11 vs. Gustavus Adolphus)
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The Gusties swept CSS at University of Minnesota's Jane Sage Cowles Stadium in a non-conference doubleheader matchup last season.
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The Saints held a 2-0 lead in the first game, before allowing 11 straight runs.
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Game two saw CSS fall behind 6-0, which was too much for the Saints to overcome, losing 6-2.
