By: Tyler Hurst
MTN Sports Reporter
Middle Tennessee softball looks to stay hot and win their second straight Conference USA series, as they travel to Marshall to take on the Thundering Herd in a three-game series at Dot Hicks Field.
The Blue Raiders (15-15, 2-1 C-USA) have won four out of their last five games, including a series win last weekend against Southern Miss at home. Most recently they defeated Tennessee State in a midweek game this past Wednesday. Much of this hot streak is owed to how well the top of the order has been swinging the bat.
The first three batters in the lineup (Amaya Harris, Kelci Hill, and Laura Mealer) have combined for 22 hits over the last five games and are just brimming with confidence.
“I tell Amaya, you get on, I’ll get you over, and Laura’s going to get you in,” Hill said. “It’s definitely a scary lineup 1-9 to pitch through.”
They are going to need to stay hot this weekend if they hope to win two out of three and escape Huntington, WV with a series win.
Marshall (16-9, 0-3 C-USA) is in the midst of a four-game losing streak including a sweep against UAB in their C-USA opener last weekend.
However, Marshall is a strong hitting team that can strike at any time, as they’ve hit 29 home runs this season. Head coach Jeff Breeden knows this will be a major test for his pitching staff.
“I told [the pitchers] they hit .333 (which is 13th in the NCAA) as a team right now and hit a bunch of bombs,” Breeden said. “So, it’s going to be on you to keep the ball in the park and let us try and slug around on it and score a few runs.”
Something will have to give this weekend if the Blue Raiders want to make it out of Huntington with a series win.
Friday’s game will start at noon CST, Saturday’s game at noon CST, and Sunday’s game will begin at 11:00 am CST.