George Washington University Athletics
GW Softball Heads South for Weekend Tournament
3/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
BACK ON THE ROAD: The George Washington softball team heads to UNC-Greensboro over the weekend for the three-day Blue/Gold Challenge. The Colonials opened the 2016 season with seven road contests before hosting two tournaments amidst a 10-game home stint.
The Colonials (9-8) will face host UNCG on Thursday afternoon to open tournament play. On Friday, GW will take on Elon before concluding the weekend with a pair of games against Northern Illinois and UNCG on Saturday. The tournament schedule, originally slated for Friday-Sunday, has been altered due to predictions of poor weather on Sunday.
LEADING THE WAY: Juniors Megan Linn (.386/.478/.561) and Monica Macchiarulo (.358/.426/.528) lead the Colonials at the plate this spring. Linn ranks third in the conference with 16 runs scored and leads the Colonials with 12 RBIs and nine steals on the year.
In the circle, sophomore Sarah Costlow (5-3) is fourth in the league with a 2.30 ERA. The starter is holding opposing hitters to a team-best .266 average.
SCOUTING UNCG: The host Spartans (16-10) defeated Bryant in both ends of a doubleheader on Tuesday and have now won eight of their last nine games. Lindsay Thomas (.463) belted three home runs on Tuesday, snapping a 20-year-old program record with her 47th career round-tripper.
Alicia Bazonski owns a 9-2 record in the circle for the Spartans with a 2.19 ERA, striking out 50 against 25 walks in 70.1 innings of work while holding opposing hitting to just a .213 average. Stephanie Bryden (6-5, 3.88 ERA) has shouldered an identical workload, striking out 58 with only 21 free passes.
SCOUTING ELON: The Phoenix (12-11) enter the Blue/Gold Challenge with a four-game win streak, taking a pair of victories over Niagara along with single game wins over Oakland and Central Connecticut State to complete an undefeated run in the Elon Tournament.
Kara Shutt owns a .446 batting average while starting all 23 games for the Phoenix and leads the squad with 10 doubles and three triples. Emily Roper (.404) enters the weekend with a team-high three home runs and a squad-best .667 slugging percentage.
Elise Walton (5-1, 1.29 ERA) has led Elon in the circle, striking out a team-high 35 batters in 43.1 innings and holds opposing hitters to a measly .192 average.
SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The Huskies (14-7) enter the weekend on a seven-game win streak, sweeping a mid-week doubleheader at Campbell after winning four games at the NC State Tournament last week.
Emily Naegeie and Kali Kossakowski are off to hot starts for NIU, batting .475 and .438, respectively. Naegeie owns a 1.000 slugging percentage with 16 extra-base hits this spring, including a team-best seven home runs. Kossakowski is a threat on the bases, posting 11 swipes in 14 attempts.
Alex Franz leads the Huskies with a 6-2 record in the circle, recording 40 strikeouts in 51.0 innings of work.
