CU Softball Preview - vs. Plattsburgh State (4/18)

Due to rain in the forecast for Wednesday, the Clarkson University Softball team's non-league doubleheader against Plattsburgh State was moved up a day as both teams continue to do some refining in advance of what they hope will be extended seasons in the playoffs.

Clarkson enters the game with a record of 15-11 overall, having won four straight, while Plattsburgh State is also four games over .500 at 17-13 overall. The Cardinals swept the Golden Knights last year in Plattsburgh, winning both games by a single run in extra innings (7-6, 4-3).

The Knights have received a nice mix of pitching and timely hitting recently, getting some especially impressive performances from Jamie Bridge. The senior pitcher was named the Liberty League Pitcher of the Week for the third time this year on Monday and she has posted a 0.68 earned run average with 24 strikeouts in her last 20.2 innings pitched, going 3-0 with a save in that stretch. Overall, Bridge has a 2.97 earned run average in 2017 with 69 strikeouts and nine victories, with the latter two figures among the best in the conference. Junior Raeanna Dunn broke out of an early season slump with nine hits in 17 at bats last week, pushing her slash line to .310/.372/.357, while freshman Kyrstin Messier also went 8-for-16 at the dish over the last six games. For the season, Bridge is the team's top hitter for average with a .353/.371/.412 line thanks to 30 hits and 21 runs, while Summer Lancette isn't far behind at .346/.411/.519, adding in eight stolen bases. Ali Schwenzfeier is also hitting at a .324/.385/.521 pace while cleanup masher Michele Winn leads the conference in homers (7) and is third in runs batted in (25) to go along with a .630 slugging percentage (fifth in the Liberty League).

The Cardinals are averaging just under five runs per game in 2017 thanks to a solid group of five hitters that are each hitting .320 or better. Kaitlyn Preiss has the best line overall with rates of .398/.462/.437 and a team-best 41 hits, while Haleigh Agans leads the team in slugging (.527) and runs batted in (22). Jackie Decker is contributing a .354/.388/.468 line while Jennifer Groat has a team-best 28 runs and Dominique Zummo has driven in 20 runs. While the three pitchers on the Plattsburgh staff have solid earned run averages, they have frequently been able to wiggle out of trouble thanks to strong strikeout rates. Katie Pitkin has a 1.90 earned run average and has struck out 75 hitters in 96 innings, but she has also allowed 53 walks. That number is small in comparison to Rhea Pitkin's 71 free passes in 65.1 innings, though her strikeout rate is even better with nearly one (60 strikeouts) per inning pitched. Taylor Smith is a veritable control freak in comparison to the team's two starters, allowing just 13 walks while striking out 25 in 36.1 innings of relief. Smith has earned four saves in 2017.

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Players Mentioned

#6 Jamie Bridge: P/OF; 5' 4"; Senior; R/R

#5 Raeanna Dunn: IF; 5' 4"; Junior; L/R

#14 Summer Lancette: OF; 5' 2"; Junior; L/R

#13 Ali Schwenzfeier: UT; 5' 4"; Senior; R/R

#3 Michele Winn: C/IF; 5' 6"; Freshman; L/L

#15 Kyrstin Messier: IF; 5' 7"; Freshman; R/R

Players Mentioned

#6 Jamie Bridge
: 5' 4"; Senior; R/R
: P/OF

#5 Raeanna Dunn
: 5' 4"; Junior; L/R
: IF

#14 Summer Lancette
: 5' 2"; Junior; L/R
: OF

#13 Ali Schwenzfeier
: 5' 4"; Senior; R/R
: UT

#3 Michele Winn
: 5' 6"; Freshman; L/L
: C/IF

#15 Kyrstin Messier
: 5' 7"; Freshman; R/R
: IF