April 21, 2006

Game Notes (PDF) | Gametracker Game One | Gametracker Game Two

DAYTON, OHIO -The University of Dayton softball team takes on St. Bonaventure in a pivotal Atlantic 10 doubleheader at UD Softball Stadium Saturday at noon. The Flyers are 6-6 in the Atlantic 10, one game back of the Bonnies (7-5) and Temple (6-4) for the final A-10 tournament spot with eight conference games left for UD and Bona. The Flyers are 13-22 overall after Thursday's double-header split with Morehead State.

ROUDEBUSH CAN RAKE
Senior SS Tami Roudebush is hitting .343 on the season after 35 hits in 102 at bats. Last year, Roudebush -- playing third base -- had 22 hits in 113 at bats. She's hitting .148 points higher in 2006 than in 2005, including a 13-game hitting streak from March 15 to April 5. She has hit safely in 20 of her 31 starts and has 10 multi-hit games. Against Fairfield, she delivered three hits in three trips to the plate, including the first triple of her career. She hit her first home run of the season against Fordham. She had hit safely in 13-straight games before reaching on an error once in three at bats in game one vs SJU. Her move from 3B to SS (via 2B and briefly RF) was due to the return of 3B Blair Crabtree from an injury that kept her out most of last year. She hit her second homer of 2006 Thursday against Morehead State.

OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT
Collectively, the Flyers are hitting .273 on the season, compared to .233 last season. All three of UD's returning regular position players - with enough plate appearances to qualify - have a higher average than last season. Dayton's slugging percentage and on-base percentage is higher as well. Through 35 games, UD has clubbed six more doubles than in all of last season and one more triple. Dayton is the hardest team in the Atlantic 10 to strike out, having K'd just 141 times in 35 games.

IN THE CIRCLE
Senior starter Melissa Myher has 40 wins, second all-time at UD, with 360 strikeouts, third on UD's all-time list. She recorded her 300th strikeout against FDU in Florida. She won both games of a doubleheader against George Washington, allowing just two earned runs in 14 innings. On Thursday, she gave up just two earned runs to lower her ERA to 3.30. Chelsea Grozenski is putting together a solid junior campaign, posting a 6-3 record with a 2.78 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 83 innings. She has three shutouts on the season and also threw four innings of hitless relief against Colgate. She allowed just three hits while shuting out Rider and two hits while blanking Army. On Friday & Saturday, she shutout Saint Joseph's, 1-0, taking a no-hitter into the seventh before allowing a clean single with one out.

FOUR UP, FOUR DOWN
Melissa Myher may have tied an NCAA record last Thursday. Myher struck out four Butler batters in the bottom of the second inning, as a dropped third strike enabled the batter to reach first. The NCAA record book does not list most strikeouts in an inning.

THREE RUNS OR MORE
After going 18-6 last season and 76-20 since the start of 2001 when scoring three or more runs, the Flyers are 9-10 this season when reaching the three-run mark. But 8-5 when scoring four or more runs.

LEGGO MY EGGO
Sophomore first basemen Christine Eggers is building off a solid freshman campaign by posting a .313 batting average this year. The Flyers lead off hitter has reached base at a .412 clip, with 17 walks to go with her 35 hits. She has scored 18 runs on the season and slugged three doubles and three triples. She's upped her career average to .294, sixth-best all-time at UD. She drove in four runs in a game against the Charlotte 49ers in game two of a doubleheader and posted a four-for-six series against Saint Joseph's.

TAMSYN `ELLOUGH
That's not a typo, there's just no K in Tamsyn Kellough this season. UD's RBI leader has come to the plate 120 times this season and struck out just eight times. The junior is hitting .309 on the season with 34 hits in 110 at bats with nine doubles, a triple and a home run. She's driven in 18 runs and with 11 walks and a hit-by-pitch has reached base 45 times against those eight Ks. In game one of the Saint Joseph's series, she knocked home the tying and winning runs with a single in the bottom of the seventh to give her 15 RBI on the year and a 3-2 Dayton win. Kellough is also switching over to centerfielder from her left field spot last season.

DAYTON DEBUTS
Red-shirt freshman Blair Crabtree and freshmen Shalyn Adams and Mollie Schrank are off to impressive starts in their debut seasons. Adams, UD's number two hitter, is 32-for-119 (.269) with seven doubles and two homers. Against La Salle, she hit her first home run in UD's 8-7 eighth-innning win. She also delivered a three-run game-tying home run in the bottom of the seventh against Fordham. She moved from left field to catcher when Christina Vetter injured her thumb. Crabtree is hitting .272 and leads UD with three home runs, including her first career blast, against Eastern Kentucky on March 4. Schrank leads UD with a .365 average with three doubles. Against La Salle, she beat out three infield hits. The freshman outfielder is also documenting UD road trips with an online journal at DaytonFlyers.com. On the Road with the Flyers can be found at: http://daytonflyers.collegesports.com/sports/w-softbl/ROAD.html.

SPEAKING OF DAYTONFLYERS.COM...
That's where you can find live stats for all of UD's home softball games, as well as selected road games via CSTV's Gametracker. UD will also have links to live audio from Flyer Radio and 1610 Information Radio. Check UD's softball schedule for available games.

NEXT TIME OUT
The Flyers have a non-conference twinbill against IPFW on Sunday at noon at UD Softball Stadium.