CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah softball team will head to Baton Rouge, Louisiana this weekend to compete in the Purple & Gold Challenge, hosted by Louisiana State University.
Last Time Out
Last weekend the Thunderbirds were in Las Vegas to compete at the UNLV Sportco Kickoff Classic. They competed against teams that included then-ranked No. 16 Minnesota, North Dakota State, and host team UNLV. Southern Utah was not able to pick up a win in the tournament, but the team showed promise in all aspects.
Sarah Murphy hit .500 (7-14) over the weekend with two doubles and five runs scored. Freshman Taylei Williams hit .467 in her first college action with three RBIs and two stolen bases. Samantha Guile pitched her first complete game of the season in the circle against UNLV. She threw six innings and allowed just five hits and two earned runs.
2018 Purple & Gold Challenge
The Thunderbirds saw a lot of talent last weekend and this weekend is bound to be very similar. The tournament is hosted by the No. 7 ranked LSU Tigers. The Tigers have started the season 5-0 after sweeping the Tiger Classic on opening weekend. Opening week for LSU included four shutouts and a team ERA of 0.42.
Southern Utah will also be taking on Oregon State, Central Arkansas and Louisiana Tech twice during the weekend. The Beavers opened the season 4-1, competing in the 2018 Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona. They earned wins over Oklahoma State, BYU, and Missouri.
Central Arkansas has only played three games so far this season, picking up wins over North Texas and Grambling State in the ULM Mardi Gras Classic. Louisiana Tech started the season outside of the country, competing in the Puerta Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico. The Bulldogs went 1-4 at the event, pulling out a win over James Madison. Their other win of the season came Wednesday over McNeese State.
Game Info
The Thunderbirds will kick off the weekend on Friday February 16 against Oregon State at 11:00 a.m. They will then have their first matchup against Louisiana Tech at 1:30 p.m. the same day. Saturday February 17 the T-Birds are scheduled to play Central Arkansas at 8:30 a.m. followed by No. 7 LSU at 4:00 p.m. Things will wrap up for Southern Utah on Sunday February 18 at 8:30 a.m. against Louisiana Tech. All times are Mountain time.
There will be live stats available for all of the Thunderbirds' games. Links can be found at suutbirds.com or lsusports.net.
Follow Us
Stay up to date throughout the 2018 Thunderbird softball season by following @SUUSoftball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Softball page on Facebook.
