SAN ANTONIO- The University of the Incarnate Word softball team will play its final conference game this weekend on the road at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC). The Cardinals will need to win all three games of the series to earn a spot in the conference tournament.
FOLLOW THE GAME
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
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This will be the 21st matchup between the two teams.
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The Islanders lead the way with 12 wins over UIW's nine.
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In their last matchup almost a year ago, the Cardinals topped the TAMU-CC 3-2.
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Ryleigh Mata and Abby Frank each acquired a hit. Mata's came with two RBIs.
TAMU-CC (21-21)
The Islanders are coming off a three-game series loss against conference leader, McNeese. They still sit in the top half of the rankings and are looking to close out the season by securing a spot in the SLC tournament with a win over UIW.
Statistically the Islanders rank in the top four of the conference in pitching and fielding, where they struggle is on the offensive end. With the team batting an average of .242, TAMU-CC leads the conference in strikeouts with over 272 tallied on for the year. Though one player looking to change their ways is Sidney Campion. The San Antonio native is the batting leader for the Islanders with a .290 average on her total 93 at bats. In her 27 hits, she's recorded two doubles, a triple, and an impressive 13 RBIs.
As their defense is their strongest suit, it's no wonder that TAMU-CC has some of the best fielders in the conference. Monee Montilla leads all with 109 catches with 103 putouts. She's got 6 assists on the year and has recorded no errors. Montilla's fielding percentage stands at a perfect 1.00%. Pitcher Primrose Aholelei is another big part of the Islanders defense. Spotting a 1.85 era on 28 appearances, Aholelei has a total 151 strikeouts has only let 40 players walk.
UIW (15-28-1)
Though dropping the series to Lamar, the Cardinals exploded on Sunday's win over the Beaumont Cardinals. This power could propel them to the much-needed sweep over the Islanders. With hopes of making the SLC Tournament on the line, this weekend will be an interesting series.
UIW has a new batting leader this week. Batting .293 in her 99 at bats, Victoria Altamirano has taken over the top spot. The freshman has tallied 29 hits on the year including a team- high 10 doubles, team- high two triples, and another team- high five home runs. She's also accounted for 21 runs and 15 RBIs. Altamirano has shown her strength as a power hitter for this Cardinal squad. Unlike the Islanders, UIW's offense is their strong suit. In contrast to their opponents, the Cardinals have the least number of strikeouts in the Southland Conference and rank sixth in batting average with .245%.
The Cardinals pitching staff has had ups and downs throughout the year. Though last week we saw an outstanding performance from senior Madison Floyd. Floyd pitched 10 innings and recorded a 0.90 era. She allowed eight hits but only one earned run. Saturday's shutout win gave her, her second shutout of the season.
FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAthletics, and like UIW Athletics on Facebook.
Follow the team on Twitter @UIWSoftball and Instagram @uiwsoftball.
--UIW CARDINALS--
