Softball 3/29/2011 10:11:00 PM SUU Strategic Communication

Softball at Utah Valley Tournament in Salt Lake City this Weekend

CEDAR CITY, Utah - Southern Utah University will play in its final regular season tournament of the year this weekend when the Thunderbirds face Utah Valley and Northern Colorado in a tournament hosted by UVU. Even though the Wolverines are slated to host the tournament, the games will actually be played at the University of Utah as field renovations have forced a change in venues.

The Thunderbirds will enter the four-game set on a three-game winning streak after sweeping Centenary College last weekend. SUU will also have more wins than Utah Valley and Northern Colorado combined, coming into the set with an overall mark of 12-18, compared to UVU's record of 7-14 and UNC's mark of 3-23.

Southern Utah batters have averaged .252 from the plate so far this year with two T-Birds, Cora Cordova and Haylee Hoch, batting over .300. Cordova leads the team with a .311 average, becoming a starter in the Thunderbird line-up since the IPFW series. Hoch is batting .301 and is among the leaders in doubles this season with five while Darleen Fernandez leads the team with five home runs. Lead-off hitter Jenavieve Purcell has brought speed to the base paths with five stolen bases on nine attempts.

In the circle, Heather Black leads the team in virtually every category with 10 wins, a 3.47 ERA, 105.0 innings pitched and 78 strikeouts. The staff has averaged a 5.37 ERA on the year while allowing opposing hitters to bat .310 from the plate.

Southern Utah is scheduled to face Utah Valley and Northern Colorado on Friday with game times slated for 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. The teams will then swap the order as the T-Birds will play the Bears and Wolverines on Saturday morning with the first pitch for each game set for 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Scouting Utah Valley

Utah Valley will enter the games with an overall record of 7-14 and winners of five of its last six contests, including a 3-2 victory over Boise State on Tuesday. To date, the Wolverines have posted wins over Bryant University, Loyola Marymount, Houston Baptist, South Dakota, North Dakota and BSU.

UVU is batting .272 as a team from the dish with two batters, Meghan Yocom and Amanda Perez, batting over the .300 plateau. Yocom leads the team wtih a .404 average, four doubles and one triple with Perez bringing the pop in the line-up with a .356 average and a team-best six home runs and 23 RBI. Samantha Telarroja leads the team in stolen base with four of six attempts.

The Wolverines have only played two pitchers in the circle with Josi Summers and Kyli Fianary throwing 67.1 and 66.2 innings this year. Summers leads the team with 46 strikeouts and has tallied five of the seven victories this season. The pair is averaging a 5.38 ERA while allowing opposing batters to hit .308 from the plate.

Last time against Utah Valley

Southern Utah suffered a 6-5 defeat against Utah Valley in 2009 at the Red Desert Classic in St. George, Utah. The Thunderbirds had a 5-3 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning, but three Wolverine runs in that frame sealed the victory for UVU.

Scouting Northern Colorado

Northern Colorado will enter the weekend with an overall record of 3-23 with victories over Minnesota, Bethune-Cookman and Colorado State.

The Bears are hitting .218 from the plate with Kelli Henderson leading the team with a .365 average, ten doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI. As a team, UNC has hit 11 home runs on the year while scoring a total of 79 runs.

UNC pitchers are carrying an ERA of 7.14 overall with 108 strikeouts while allowing opposing hitters a .364 average at the plate. Henderson also leads the team in the circle, throwing 79.0 innings and racking up 69 strikeouts.

Last time against Northern Colorado

Southern Utah dropped a 9-8 decision against Northern Colorado during the 2009 season at the Red Desert Classic in St. George, Utah. The T-Birds bounced back from a 7-1 deficit to eventually tie the game at 8-8 with five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. However, a final run by Northern Colorado in the seventh finished off the victory for the Bears.

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Players Mentioned

#7 Heather Black: P; 5' 10"; Junior

#1 Cora Cordova: INF; 5' 5"; Freshman

#9 Darleen Fernandez: INF/OF; 5' 4"; Senior

#15 Haylee Hoch: 3B; 5' 9"; Junior

#2 Jenavieve Purcell: OF; 5' 7"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#7 Heather Black
: 5' 10"; Junior
: P

#1 Cora Cordova
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: INF

#9 Darleen Fernandez
: 5' 4"; Senior
: INF/OF

#15 Haylee Hoch
: 5' 9"; Junior
: 3B

#2 Jenavieve Purcell
: 5' 7"; Senior
: OF