The Mountaineers will leave the friendly confines to play Furman this weekend. (Photo: Tim Richardson) Softball, at Furman* (Game 1), April 12: Game statistics Softball, at Furman*, April 13: Game statistics Softball, at Furman* (Game 2), April 12: Game statistics

Softball Visits Furman
by ASU Sports Information

April 11, 2008 - Following three consecutive home games, Appalachian State softball will take to the road this weekend to face the Furman Paladins. ASU, 5-25 (3-4 SoCon) on the season will look for their first road win in nine previous chances. Furman is 17-19 (6-3 SoCon) this year and on a two-game slide, falling to USC Upstate in the midweek. Appalachian split their midweek doubleheader against ETSU, winning the opener 4-3, but falling 2-0 in the nightcap.

Freshman Katie Boyd hit her seventh home run of the season to tie Keri Blackwelder and Kristyn Hurt’s single season record for long balls. Boyd is hitting .427 on the year with eight doubles, eight stolen bases and 17 RBI. Junior Kayla Richardson has been the stalwart of the ASU pitching staff pitching well over the last month to reduce her ERA from 5.69 on March 8 to it’s current level of 4.41. She has a shutout, three wins and 12 complete game performances for the Mountaineers.

Since her battlefield promotion on March 8 to the leadoff spot, junior Andrea McIntyre has added 63 points to her batting average. Over that time (13 games) she five multi hit games and her career day, a 3-for-4 outing last weekend against Chattanooga.

The Paladins rely on leading batter Abby Robertson’s .321 average while Brythe Blankenship’s four home runs provide the power for Furman. Lana Mackey is the ace of the staff with a 12-15 record and a 3.22 ERA in 22 starts.

The series starts on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. from Furman’s Pepsi Stadium. The Sunday finale will also get underway at 1 p.m.