PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – La Salle softball is set to head west for their Atlantic 10 road opener against Dayton. The Explorers swept a doubleheader against St. Bonaventure last Sunday and will look to maintain their perfect conference record in a twin-bill against the Flyers. Opening pitch of Game 1 is set for 12:00 PM on Sunday afternoon.
 
La Salle Explorers (9-8; 2-0 A-10) at Dayton Flyers (11-16; 1-1 A-10)
Sunday, March 30, 2014 | 12:00 PM & 2:00 PM | UD Softball Stadium – Dayton, Ohio
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Scouting the Explorers
La Salle pushed their winning streak to four on Thursday afternoon, as they shut out city rival Penn 5-0 at Penn Park. The Explorers enter this weekend red-hot, winning eight of their past nine contests, since starting the season 1-7. They pushed their record above .500 for the first time this season with the victory over the Quakers, entering this weekend with a 9-8 record overall and a 2-0 mark in conference play.
 
Strong hitting has been the key to the Explorers turn around this season. The Blue and Gold are averaging a shade over five runs a game (5.4) during their strong nine game stretch, while they have averaged six runs per game during their current four-game winning streak.
 
The pitching has also been lights out after a slow start to the year. The Explorers have allowed less than three runs per game (2.89) over the nine-game run and our allowing just two runs per game during their current four-game winning streak. The combo of Alicia Aughton and Mary Cate Scott were lights out against the Quakers on Thursday, limiting Penn to four hits while striking out seven through seven spotless innings of work. The pitching gem lowered the staff earned run average to a solid 3.47 mark for the season. 
 
Megan Hodgson continued her strong season, upping her average to .400 with a 2-for-4 day against Penn. She now has eight multi-hit games on the season. She leads the team in most offensive categories, including: average (.400), doubles (5), home runs (6), RBIs (23), and slugging percentage (.860).
 
While Aughton has been an ace in the pitching circle, she has also been swinging a hot bat of late. She reached base in all four of her plate appearances in Thursday's victory over Penn, collecting two hits and two walks. She broke open the scoring with a titanic two-run blast to left center, her second long-ball in as many games. Aughton enters the weekend with hits in five of her last six at-bats, while she has reached base in nine of her past eleven plate appearances overall. After a slow start to the season, her average now stands at .289 for the year.
 
Mary Cate Scott had her best outing of the season on Thursday against the Quakers. Entering in relief of Aughton in the third inning, she twirled five scoreless frames, allowing three hits, while striking out three for her second victory in as many appearances. She will most likely start one of the two games against the Flyers this weekend.
 
Scouting the Flyers
Dayton enters the weekend matchup with the Explorers with a record of 11-16 on the year and a 1-1 mark in conference play. The Flyers will make their conference home debut this weekend after splitting a doubleheader at Rhode Island last weekend. They snapped a three game losing streak in their most recent contest, blasting Wright State 9-0 on Thursday afternoon. Dayton has had a rollercoaster season to date, entering with a record of 5-5 over their last ten.
 
Dayton boasts a strong lineup with several major threats for the Explorer pitching staff to contend with. They lead the conference with a .288 team batting average. They have slugged 22 round-trippers as a team and have scored 123 runs, a 4.55 average per game this season.
 
Rachel Archer is the Flyers table setter. She leads the team with a .402 batting average and a .433 on-base percentage. She has also swiped eight bases on the season, second most on the team.
 
Kasi Vazquez and Tiffany Ricks are the Flyers big hitters. Vazquez leads the team with six homers, while Ricks has five long-balls on the year. Ricks leads the squad with 23 RBIs and 21 runs scored, while Vazquez ranks second with 18 RBIs.
 
The Dayton pitching staff has been the team's weakness this season. They enter the weekend with a staff earned run average of 4.37. Most of this is due to a little struggle with control. They have allowed 96 batters to reach via walk (87) or hit-by-pitch (9).
 
Gabrielle Snyder leads the staff with a 4.10 earned run average on the year. She enters with a record of 4-5, while she has fanned 37 batters in 66.2 innings of work.
 
Kayla English is the staff's ace. She enters with a 7-6 record on the season, while posting a 4.18 earned run average. English limits opponents to just a .246 batting average, while she has whiffed 53 batters in 75.1 innings. Her issue has been control, as she has also walked 41 batters.
 
Up Next
Next up for the Explorers is a weekday road trip for a doubleheader at Bucknell on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch of Game 1 is scheduled for 3:00 PM. The Explorers next home game will be Thursday, as they square up for a twin-set against Delaware on Thursday afternoon.