Pirates Face Providence in Makeup Series
4/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Seton Hall University softball team begins a busy week of conference play with a three games series at Providence College on Monday-Tuesday, April 6-7. The set was originally scheduled for mid-March but had to be rescheduled due to unplayable field conditions.
The matchup features a pair of teams that were able to overcome tough starts to conference play, as Seton Hall bounced back from being swept by DePaul to take three games from Villanova last week. Providence also went winless against the Blue Demons, but won its series against Butler over the weekend, 2-1.
Seton Hall enters the week ranked third in the league with a 3-3 record, but will have to win some games on the road to maintain that position. The Pirates swept three games from Providence last season and have won four in a row against the Friars overall.
The home runs kept coming for Seton Hall in its three-game sweep of Villanova as the Pirates close in on the school single-season record. Five more balls went over the wall as SHU increased its season total to 35, just five shy of matching the single-season mark of 40 set back in 2006. Senior Sara Haefeli and freshman Alexis Walkden continue to pace the squad with 10 apiece, which ranks 45th in the country.
Seton Hall's pitchers will have to focus on shutting down three primary offensive threats from Providence in Kiki Baldasarri, Nicole Lundstrom and Shanelle Harrell. Lundstrom has homered four times in league play, including twice in the same game in a win over Butler. She is hitting .571 against BIG EAST pitching with an impressive 1.571 slugging percentage.
Baldasarri is hitting a team-leading .379 overall, but .526 in league play with a pair of doubles. Harrell is also excelling as of late with a .444 average in five BIG EAST games.
Providence will be charged with attempting to limit the impact of SHU leadoff Yasmin Harrell, who has reached base in two of every three plate appearances in six BIG EAST games. She is hitting .611 with four runs scored and four stolen bases, which made a big difference in the three-game sweep of Villanova that saw SHU take three games by a combined four runs.
SHU will want to continue some of the same success other conference teams have been experiencing against PC ace Taylor Huntly. Huntly has a 9.56 ERA in 16.0 innings against BIG EAST teams, compared to just 5.82 overall.
LAST TIME OUT
Seton Hall was able to leap back into the top half of the conference standings by picking up a three-game sweep over Villanova earlier this week. Danielle DeStaso picked up a pair of wins in the pitcher's circle and Alexis Walkden and Sara Haefeli each homered to remain at the top of the conference standings with 10 home runs apiece. All three games in that series were decided by two runs or fewer, as Seton Hall improved to 8-8 in those contests this season.
SCOUTING PROVIDENCE
Providence rebounded from a pair of losses at DePaul to start BIG EAST play with a 2-1 series win against Butler over the weekend. Since conference play began, the Friars have seen their offensive numbers improve drastically, hitting .353 as a team against BIG EAST foes compared to .262 overall. Their pitching has gone the other direction, with ace Taylor Hundley struggling with a 9.56 ERA, although she has won twice. Providence ranks sixth in the league in on-base percentage (.329) and has not displayed much speed around the base paths with just eight steals all season, which ranks last in the BIG EAST.
MOSES SAVES THE DAY
Senior Casey Moses has always thrived in a closer's role, and that was exactly what she did as SHU picked up a series sweep over Villanova on March 29-30. Twice, Moses came in to help the Pirates preserve a lead, picking up her first two saves of the season in the process. So far in BIG EAST play, Moses has a 3.15 earned run average, limiting opponents to a .233 average.
WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
In its sweep of Villanova at the end of March, Seton Hall won three games that were decided by two runs or fewer, including a pair of one-run contests. With those three victories, the Pirates improved to 8-8 in one or two-run games in 2015.
HARRELL HOT STREAK CONTINUES
Yasmin Harrell was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for a second time after leading SHU offensively against DePaul, then followed that up with an even more impressive series against Villanova. Entering this week, Harrell is riding a five-game hitting streak and is hitting .611 (11-of-18) during BIG EAST play. Additionally, she leads SHU with a .667 on-base percentage during conference play and is 4-of-4 in stolen base attempts. Over the last 12 games, Harrell is batting .475 (13-for-40) with eight runs scored.
PIRATES PILING UP HOMERS
Senior center fielder Sara Haefeli hit a pair of home runs against DePaul on March 24, which marked her third multi-home run game of the year and the fourth of her career. Combined with freshman Alexis Walkden's pair of multi-home run games, Seton Hall has five multi-homer performances this year, compared to just 13 in the history of the program heading into this season. As a team, the Pirates have left the yard 35 times, the SHU single-season record is 40, set back in 2006.
