Troy University Athletics
Wear Pink As Softball Strikes Out Cancer
3/23/2010 3:00:00 PM | Softball
TROY, Ala. - The Troy Trojans softball team will play host to South Alabama on Wednesday in what will be the Trojans' first ever "Strikeout Cancer" game to raise breast cancer awareness. First pitch is set for 5:00 p.m. at the Trojan Softball Complex and fans are encouraged to wear pink.
Members of the team will be selling 50/50 raffle tickets for $1 in the Trojan Center on Monday and Tuesday from 10:00 to 2:00. Tickets will also be sold before the game on Wednesday night and the winner will be announced during the fifth inning. All proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Brest Cancer Foundation.
The Trojans will also be wearing pink jerseys that will be autographed by the team and given to local charities and businesses.
As for the game itself, the Trojans (17-13, 5-1) will be looking to build on the momentum of a weekend series win over Sun Belt contender FIU. The Trojans defeated the Golden Panthers on Sunday in dramatic fashion, 5-3, with a two run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
South Alabama (11-11, 0-0) enters the contest on a two game skid. The Jaguars were scheduled to open Sun Belt play against North Texas last weekend, but were rained out. They played three mid-week games last week, defeating Nicholls State before falling to McNeese State and No.22 Baylor, all on the road.
Troy is anchored by their ace in the pitching circle, Ashlyn Williams. The junior Hattiesburg, Miss. native enters the game with a 13-9 record with 17 complete games. She has struck out 219 batters in just 142.2 innings of work. That strikeout total is over twice as many as the next highest total in the Sun Belt.
Offensively, the Trojans enter the game hitting .287 as a team, with Kala Moore leading the squad with a .371 batting average. The speedy senior shortstop also leads the Trojans with 17 stolen bases. True freshman Courtney Cherry has proven to be a consistent power threat as she leads the team with four home runs and 22 RBI. Cherry also leads the squad with a .411 on-base percentage.
The Jaguars are led by Beth Pilgrim in the circle. She enters the contest with an 8-5 record in 16 appearances. Pilgrim has a 2.46 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 79.2 innings pitched and opponents are batting .208 against her.
South Alabama is led offensively by Brittany Fowler who leads the team with a .348 batting average. Haley Hopkins represents the Lady Jags deep threat as she has hit six home runs on the season and enters with a .615 slugging percentage.
First pitch is set for 5:00 p.m. from the Trojan Softball Complexand admission is FREE. If you can't make it to the game, you can follow the action on WTBF-94.7 FM in Troy or through the link above. A live webcast and live stats will also be available at the links above.
