April 4, 2011
Weekly Notes in PDF Format
Softball Hosts UConn On Tuesday, Travels To BU Wednesday
AMHERST, Mass. - The UMass softball team (13-14, 5-3 A-10) closes its five-game homestand on Tuesday with a 4 p.m. game against regional rival Connecticut and then hits the road for a 4 p.m. game at Boston University on Wednesday before returning to the UMass Softball Complex to host St. Bonaventure in an Atlantic 10 doubleheader on Sunday at noon. Tuesday and Sunday's games will be televised live on CBS 3 Now.
Live video of all three home games will be available on UMassAthletics.com through the UMass All Access page. Just click on the watch link on the specified game on the softball schedule. Free live stats will also be available at UMassAthletics.com by clicking on the GameTracker links. Live audio of the BU game will be available on UMassAthletics.com via SportsJuice.
The Minutewomen are riding a four-game winning streak, opening at home last week with a pair of doubleheader sweeps, 1-0 and 6-2 over Dartmouth on Wednesday, and 4-0 and 4-3 on Sunday against Saint Louis.
Junior pitcher Sara Plourde is in the midst of a school-record streak of 17 2/3 innings pitched withouth allowing a hit. She tossed her first no-hitter of the season in game one against Dartmouth, pitched the final two innings of game two to earn the save, tossed her second-straight no-no in game one against the Billikens, and hurled the final 1 2/3 frames in game two. She was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week and UMass Co-Athlete of the Week.
Head Coach Elaine Sortino is in her 32nd season leading UMass. She has won 1,113 games in her career after entering 2011 with exactly 1,100. The 2004 NFCA Hall of Fame inductee ranks fifth among active Division I head coaches in wins and has a career winning percentage of .705 (1,113-465-6).
PAIR OF SWEEPS AT HOME
Sara Plourde struck out 16 batters and recorded the seventh no-hitter of her career in a 1-0 game-one victory, and Caroline Raymond was perfect in the circle through five innings in game two and benefited from a three-run home run by Lindsey Webster and a 4-for-4 effort by Audrey Boutin in a 6-2 victory to give UMass softball (11-14) the home-opening sweep over Dartmouth (5-10) on Wednesday at the UMass Softball Complex.
Plourde (9-10) allowed just three base runners in game one, all coming on walks. She started the game in dominating fashion, striking out the first five batters and finished with the seventh no-hitter of the junior's career, her sixth solo no-hitter, and first this season.
On her 22nd birthday, designated player Stephanie Mayne drove in the lone run of the first game with a second inning single that drove in Tiffany Meeks, who had walked to lead off the inning and advanced on a Webster bunt. It was Mayne's third RBI of the season and she added her fourth in game two.
Raymond (2-1) was prefect through five innings in game two, not allowing anyone to reach base until Alex St. Romain led off the sixth with a single. After another batter reached, Hillary Barker doubled to right-center to plate both runners and make it a 6-2 game.
Sara Plourde threw here second-straight no-hitter in a 4-0 game-one victory and got the win in relief, 4-3, in game two as Teea Rogers drove in the winning run with a single in the bottom of the seventh to give UMass a doubleheader sweep over Saint Louis on Sunday. Lindsey Webster finished the day 3-for-5 with a walk, a double, and two RBIs, while Stephanie Mayne slugged her first career home run as the Minutewomen improved to 4-0 at home.
With the score tied 3-3 going into the bottom of the seventh, senior Audrey Boutin led off with a walk, was bunted over to second base by Stephanie Mayne, and advanced to third on a groundout. Rogers then drove the first pitch through the left side of the infield to score Boutin and give the Minutewomen the sweep.
Game-two starter Caroline Raymond allowed three runs, though none were earned, on four hits and five walks while striking out four.
After stranding one runner on base in each of the first four innings, the Minutewomen took control of game one with a three-run fifth. Mayne led off the inning by blasting the first pitch she saw over the fence in straight-away center field for the first home run of her career.
HOME COOKIN'
The Minutewomen have a 194-17-1 record, including 4-0 this season, at the UMass Softball Complex, which opened in 2000, for a .917 winning percentage.
In the Atlantic 10, UMass dominates, holding a 101-5 (.953) regular season record at home. In the 13 A-10 Tournament games hosted in Amherst, 11 have gone in UMass' win column.
UMass' offense explodes at home, as the Minutewomen boast a .334 batting average coming into the year at the UM Softball Complex, while holding their opponents to a .162 batting average.
In 2010, UMass was 17-1, batting .309 at home and averaging 5.56 runs/game. The Minutewomen held the opposition to a .153 average and 1.39 runs/game.
UMass had a 54-game regular season home winning streak that went from April 9, 2006 to May 3, 2009. In 2010, UMass is a perfect 13-0 at home this season.
SPLITS AT TEMPLE, ST. JOE'S
The Minutewomen continued Atlantic 10 Conference play on March 26-27 by splitting a two-game series at Temple and Saint Joseph's.
Sara Plourde took the loss in game one after Temple scored seven runs in the first inning on four hits, four walks, and one error. Stephanie Pasquale had the big hit of the inning, a three-run home run to right field. Plourde finished the game with 13 strikeouts, but walked seven.
Teea Rogers and Tiffany Meeks each slugged grand slams to lead UMass to a 12-2 victory in five innings to earn a doubleheader split in game two. The Minutewomen scored six runs in the fourth inning and four runs in the fifth to end early what was a 2-2 game after three frames. Caroline Raymond pitched all five innings in game two to earn the victory in the first start of the freshman's career. The Downingtown, Pa. native allowed two runs on three hits and struck out four.
Against St. Joe's on Sunday, a three-run seventh inning and a three-run eighth inning gave UMass a come-from-behind 6-4 victory in eight innings in game one against the Hawks before SJU scored three runs in the sixth inning of game two to break a 2-2 tie and defeat the Minutewomen, 5-2, at the Villanova Softball Complex.
Junior Kyllie Magill led the UMass offense from the leadoff spot, going a combined 6-for-9 with two doubles, two RBIs, and a run scored. Senior Audrey Boutin had a pair of hits in each game, going a combined 4-for-7.
Sara Plourde (8-10) went all eight innings in game one to earn the victory. She struck out 12 batters while allowing four runs on four hits and four walks. Caroline Raymond (1-1) went the distance and took the loss in game two, allowing five runs, just two earned, on seven hits and one walk with two strikeouts.
A-10 OPENER IN CHARLOTTE
The Minutewomen opened Atlantic 10 Conference play on March 18-19 by splitting a two-game series at Charlotte, winning 1-0 on Friday and falling 3-2 in 14 innings on Saturday.
Audrey Boutin led off the second inning with a home run and that was all the offense that was needed as Sara Plourde pitched out of a bases-loaded, nobody out jam in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure a three-hit shutout on Friday afternoon at the D.L. Phillips Complex.
Charlotte loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning on two ground ball singles through the infield and an error on a bunt, but Plourde was up to the task, getting a strikeout, a fly out to left field, and a fly out to right field to end the game.
Tenaya Tucker's two-out single with the bases loaded drove in the winning run as UMass fell to Charlotte, 3-2 in 14 innings on Saturday afternoon. After the teams exchanged leads twice, pitchers Sara Plourde and Katy Hackett put zeroes up for both sides for seven straight innings. It was the second-longest game in UMass program history.
After back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the 14th, Plourde got a strikeout and a pop-out before issuing one more walk to load the bases for Tucker, who in her seventh plate appearance of the game, singled through the left side to bring in the winning run.
The only longer game in UMass history was the epic 15-inning 6-1 loss to Washington in the NCAA Regional at the UMass Softball Complex on May 17, 2009.
PLOURDE-ING IT ON
Junior pitcher Sara Plourde is in the midst of a school-record streak of 17 2/3 innings pitched withouth allowing a hit. She tossed her first no-hitter of the season in game one against Dartmouth, pitched the final two innings of game two to earn the save, tossed her second-straight no-no in game one against the Billikens, and hurled the final 1 2/3 frames in game two.
The junior All-American has continued her dominating form in 2011, striking out 244 batters in 143 1/3 innings pitched. She has a 1.51 ERA and opponents are hitting just .143 against her. She ranked sixth in the NCAA in both strikeouts and strikeouts per seven innings (11.4) last week.
At the USF Under Armour Showcase (Mar. 11-13), Plourde went 4-0 with a 0.53 ERA, allowing just two runs in 26 1/3 innings pitched. She tossed 26-straight shutout innings over her four wins. Plourde struck out 57 batters, including 18 vs. Green Bay and 15 vs. USF. She was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week and UMass Co-Athlete of the Week, as well as honorable mention for NFCA Player of the Week.
Plourde established herself as one of the nation's top pitchers in 2010, posting a 40-8 record with a 1.30 ERA.
Plourde led the country in strikeouts in 2010 with 556, the highest single-season total in UMass history and ninth-highest in NCAA history. She broke Danielle Henderson's old mark of 465 by 91 Ks.
Plourde also led the country in strikeouts per seven innings (12.5) and tied National Player of the Year Danielle Lawrie of Washington for the nation's lead in wins (40). She broke Brandice Balschmiter's UMass single-season wins record of 35.
Plourde garnered countless honors in 2010, including NFCA All-American, NFCA All-Region, A-10 Pitcher of the Year, ECAC Pitcher of the Year, A-10 All-Conference, ECAC All-Star, A-10 All-Championship Team, and was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week six times.
MAGILL'S BAT COMES TO LIFE
Junior second baseman Kyllie Magill leads the team in both RBIs (15) and runs scored (16), while batting .301 on the season. She is also 7-of-8 in stolen base attempts.
In four games at Temple and St. Joe's (3/26-27), Magill went 9-16 (.563) at the plate, driving in three runs. She led the team that weekend with 11 total bases, .688 slugging percentage and .588 on base percentage.
Magill is a two-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second-Teamer at second base, batting over .300 as a freshman and a sophomore.
BOUTIN BLASTS OFF
After a slow start to the season, senior first baseman Audrey Boutin has caught fire as of late, batting .438 (21-48) over the last 15 games in which she has led the Minutewomen to an 11-4 record. Boutin has one home run and 10 RBIs over that same span.
In the last four games, which are also the first four home games of the season, Boutin batted .500 (6-12) with two doubles.
Boutin went 5-12 in four total games at Temple and St. Joe's with five RBI, and was an offensive force at the USF Under Armour Showcase, batting .474 (9-19) with eight RBIs in five games.
She hit a second-inning solo home run to account for the game's only run in UMass' A-10-opening 1-0 victory at Charlotte on March 18.
WEBSTER MAKES FIRST IMPRESSION
Freshman pitcher/outfielder Lindsey Webster has taken advantage of her early season opportunities. The Northridge, Calif. product has started the last 16 games and has vaulted to the top batting average on the team with a .320 mark (16-50).
Webster is tied with fellow freshman Tiffany Meeks for the team lead in home runs with three, ranks second in runs scored (14), and third in RBIs (12).
She blasted a dramatic two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game as UMass went on to win in extra innings at St. Joe's (3/27).
Webster had her break-out performance on March 11 against Toledo in Tampa when she went 4-for-5 with a double, three runs scored, and one RBI. She hit .615 (8-13) with nine runs scored in five games at the USF Under Armour Showcase on Mar. 11-13.
In the circle, Webster is 0-3 with a 3.85 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched. She held Tulsa to one run through eight innings in her collegiate debut before falling 3-1 in nine innings.
CRUISIN' IN CLEARWATER
The Minutewomen came to life at the USF Under Armour Showcase two weekends ago, scoring 39 runs in five games while allowing just nine on the way to a 4-1 record. UMass won its first four games of the weekend by a combined score of 35-1, with Sara Plourde pitching 24 innings in those four games, going 4-0 with without allowing a single run and striking out 54 batters.
UMass batted .324 as a team on the weekend, raising the overall team batting average by nearly 50 points. The UMass pitchers held the opposition to just a .191 batting average while posting a 1.75 ERA, led by Plourde's 0.53 ERA.
UMass opened the weekend by scoring its most runs in five years, a 17-0 victory over Toledo in five innings. The last time UMass scored as many runs or won by as much was when it set the school-record with a 20-0 win over Dartmouth on March 29, 2006 at the UMass Softball Complex. Meghan Carta hit a grand slam in the game while Kyllie Magill and Tiffany Meeks homered as well. The homer was the first of Meeks' career and her fellow freshman, Lindsey Webster, had four hits and scored three runs in the game. Plourde fanned 11 in four one-hit innings of work.
UMass closed play on Friday by knocking off host USF, 4-0. Audrey Boutin and Teea Rogers each had two hits, with Boutin driving in two runs. Plourde threw a complete-game one-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts.
On Saturday, UMass opened with a 7-1 win over Colorado State, immediately followed by a 7-0 win over Green Bay. Boutin went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Jordan Storro went 2-for-4 with a RBI to pace the offense vs. the Rams, while Plourde struck out 10 in six one-hit innings of work in the circle. Plourde topped that efford against the Phoenix, fanning a season-high 18 batters, tying her and Danielle Henderson's mark for second-most in a seven-inning game in UMass history, in a four-hit shutout. Boutin continued to rake at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs driven in.
The Minutewomen closed play on Sunday with an 8-4 loss to St. John's. All three UMass pitchers saw action, with Webster taking the loss. She did however hit the first home run of her career in the game. Katie Bettencourt finished 2-for-4 in the game.
#1 IN A-10 PRESEASON POLL
UMass has been predicted to win the 2011 Atlantic 10 Championship in polling of the conference coaches. Head Coach Elaine Sortino's Minutewomen have won the last six A-10 titles, 15 of the last 16, and 22 overall. Fordham, the 2010 runner-up, was predicted second, and Charlotte came in third.
Saint Joseph's was predicted fourth, followed by Saint Louis, Temple, Rhode Island, Dayton, St. Bonaventure, La Salle, and George Washington.
The six-team, double-elimination A-10 Championship will be held May 11-14 at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte's 49ers Softball Diamond in Charlotte, N.C.
FACING THE NATION'S BEST
Massachusetts began the 2011 season with six of the team's first 10 games against nationally ranked opponents.
In those six games, the Minutewomen have squared off four times against teams ranked in the top 11 or better. UMass dropped two games to No. 11 Michigan, 3-0 and 5-1 in the opening weekend at the FAU Kickoff Classic before dropping a 9-2 decision at the hands of No. 7 Washington and a 3-0 game to No. 11 Texas at the Cathedral City Classic on Feb. 25-27.
THE NATION IS WATCHING
The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America has named UMass junior pitcher Sara Plourde to its initial "Watch List" for the 10th Annual USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award. The 2010 All-American and A-10 Pitcher of the Year is one of 50 players nation-wide to be named to the list.
This marks the fifth year in a row that a UMass player has been named to the Preseason Watch List. Plourde joins Carly Normandin (2010), Brandice Balschmiter (2007-09), and Whitney Mollica (2007) as Minutewomen that have earned the distinction.
The 2011 Pre-Season Watch List is comprised of 50 players representing 36 schools and 15 different NCAA Division I Conferences with the Pac-10 Conference leading the way with seven schools represented. The list includes 23 seniors, 12 juniors and 15 sophomores.
The ASA will announce the 25 finalists on April 13. A player does not have to appear on this initial watch list to be considered as a top 25 finalist. However, once the top 25 finalists are named the winner of the award will come from that list. Freshman qualify for the top 25 list once they have competed at the collegiate level.
SORTINO HONORED FOR 1,100TH WIN
UMass Softball Head Coach Elaine Sortino was honored on Dec. 9 at the Easton Victory Club Luncheon at the 2010 NFCA National Convention at the San Diego Marriott & Marina in San Diego, Calif. The 31-year head coach of the Minutewomen achieved her 1,100th victory in the Atlantic 10 Championship last season and was one of several coaches to be recognized for reaching milestone victories.
Sortino entered her 32nd season in 2011 with a career record of 1,100-451-6. She ranks fifth among active NCAA Div. I coaches in career victories.
Sortino achieved her 1,100th win in dramatic fashion as it came in UMass' 8-3 victory over Fordham to win the 2010 A-10 Championship on May 15.
FOLLOW UMASS SOFTBALL
UMass Athletics offers several ways you can follow the Minutewomen. Your No. 1 source for information and news on the softball team is always UMassAthletics.com. Check in often for previews, recaps, news, box scores, and blog entries.
You can now follow UMass softball on Facebook! Simply search UMass Softball and click the "Like" button to follow the Minutewomen and receive up-to-the-minute news.
Follow UMass Athletics on Twitter at twitter.com/umassathletics. Receive the latest news on all UMass teams straight to your Twitter feed.
All of the latest UMass videos: hightlights, interviews, features, etc., can be seen on UMass' YouTube channel. Just go to youtube.com/umassathletics.
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
2011 UMass Softball Season Tickets are on sale now! The 22-time Atlantic 10 Champions are primed for another successful season in 2011 and the Minutewomen look forward to you joining them at the UMass Softball Complex for their 18 home games on 12 dates. Tickets can be ordered by calling 866-UMASS-TIX or by visiting the ticket page at UMassAthletics.com.
UMass softball season tickets are once again the best deal around, with plans ranging from $26 to $70 - that works out to between $1.44 and $3.89 per game! Purchasing softball season tickets also earns you Priority Points towards other UMass season tickets, including basketball, football, and hockey. 
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