By Dave Morrison
Mountain State University hosts two key doubleheaders this weekend, beginning with Indiana University SE at 6 p.m. tonight at Warren Williams Field.
The Cougars (16-12-1, 10-0-1 KIAC) also host Brescia at noon Saturday at Warren Williams.
“These are very important games for us at this point in the season,” MSU coach Tim Berry said. “If we can win these games we’ll be in control in the KIAC, although we still have a ways to go.”
The Cougars are currently No. 4 nationally in batting at .396.
Jennifer Sloan, a senior catcher from Woodrow, leads the way with a .495 average. She has scored a team-high 36 runs. Amber Lilly, a freshman from Covington, is hitting .402 and has scored 34 runs for the Cougars, who are averaging over six runs a game.
“Last year, we were in the Top 10 in hitting for most of the season,” Berry said. “We just couldn’t find a way to push those runs across the plate. This year, Jennifer and Amber have done a good job getting on base and we’ve been finding ways to get them home.”
Lauren Howell, MSU’s No. 3 hitter, leads the team in RBIs with 34 and has a .385 batting average. Anna Kincaid, a third-year sophomore from Newport, Ohio, is hitting .473 with 26 RBIs and Kaylie Layman, a JUCO transfer from Coastal Georgia, is hitting .418 with 23 RBIs.
“Our lineup has been solid,” Berry said.
Richwood’s Sarah Rapp will take the mound for the Cougars. She is 9-6 on the year but she has an ERA of just 2.72. She has 97 strikeouts and 32 walks in 95.1 innings.
