SAN ANTONIO- The University of the Incarnate Word softball team will open up Southland Conference play at Nicholls State this weekend. The three- game series will start with a doubleheader that begins at 4 p.m. on Friday then finish off the series with a noon game on Saturday. Both teams are coming into the matchup in competitive positions in the SLC standings.
FOLLOW THE MATCH
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
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Since 2014 these two teams have matched up at least once throughout the season. Nicholls holds the advantage with the record being 12-6.
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Last year the Cardinals won the series 2-1 by an average of four runs.
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Aaliyah Garcia played at first base and slammed a home run to give UIW a 3-0 advantage early in the first inning. She also tabbed two runs and another hit to add to her stat sheet.
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Ryleigh Mata completed two hits in her four at bats and ran a run in.
Nicholls (13-8)
Sitting at third in the latest Southland Conference polls Nicholls has completed one of their best starts to the season in years. Head Coach Justin Lewis returns for his second year with the talented and young team. With a 13-8 record the Colonels are coming into this matchup on a one game losing streak after having their doubleheader against Mississippi Valley State cancelled earlier in the week.
Freshman Erin Krause currently has the best batting average for the Colonels. With a .441 she's accounted for 26 hits, one home run, and 20 RBIs. Senior and recent Southland Hitter of the Week, Melise Gossen, is another NSU player the Cardinals will have to look out for. Spotting a .367 batting average, Gossen has had four doubles, one triple and a Southland Conference high, seven home runs. In addition, Gossen has a team high of 26 RBIs.
UIW (8-8-1)
The Cardinals are coming off a tie game against Tennessee State that took place Tuesday afternoon. The game, that went into extra innings, was the third game in a row the Cardinals had pushed to extras. This newfound grit is exactly what UIW needed heading into conference play.
Kendall McGary has been the most consistent player so far this season. Batting a .385, she not only holds the best average on the team but has the fifth best average in the conference. With McGary, UIW currently has three batters in the top 12 for the Southland Conference. Baylee Lemons is batting .362 with 17 hits, two doubles, and two home runs. Giselle Villarreal is spotting a .356 with 21 hits, two doubles and four RBIs. Not to mention freshman Victoria Altamirano has been on a hot streak. In this past game Altamirano went 4-2 with a double and a game tying home run that crashed into UIW's backwoods. In the three-game week before, against Prairie View and UTSA, Altamirano averaged out a .571.
FOLLOW ALONG
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--UIW CARDINALS--
