PHILADELPHIA- The La Salle softball team heads to Baltimore for their final nonconference weekend of the season before opening up Atlantic 10 play as they participate in the UMBC Spring Classic. The Explorers will square off against Sacred Heart, two games against Siena, and an out-of-conference matchup against Rhode Island during the weekend.
 
La Salle Explorers (1-5) vs. Sacred Heart (3-11)
Saturday March 14 I 4 PM
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La Salle Explorers (1-5) vs. Sacred Heart (3-11)
Sunday March 15 I 9:30 AM
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La Salle Explorers (1-5) vs. Siena (0-10)
Sunday March 15 I 11:30 AM
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Scouting the Saints
Despite starting the year off 0-10, the Saints have been highly competitive including dropping a narrow 9-7 game to No. 23 Kansas. Freshman Taylor Brook has started off her collegian career on a tear leading the team with a .500 batting average. Senior Paige Lloyd has also helped to provide a majority of the team's offense. Lloyd is batting .370 with a .667 slugging percentage, 5 doubles, 8 RBIs and a home run. The five doubles and eight RBIs are a team high for the Saints.
 
Junior catcher Sammy Smaldone has provided Siena some instant offense this season as she has hit three homeruns on the young season. The team as a whole is hitting .296 on the year which ranks second in the Metro Atlantic Conference just six points behind the leader Canisius. The Saints have also stolen .88 bases per game which ranks third in their conference.
 
In the circle the Saints have been led by a pair of underclassmen. Freshman Lauren Butts has struck out the most batters of any Saint with 19 strikeouts in just 17.0 innings pitched on the season. Sophomore Danielle Cacciola leads the team with a 4.85 ERA. Sophomore Amanda Gatt has thrown the most innings for the team with 19.1 innings pitched while holding a 8.69 ERA.
 
Scouting the Pioneers
Sacred Heart enters the weekend after picking up two wins last weekend at the Rebel Games in Winter Haven, Florida. The Pioneers picked up wins over Akron, 1-0, and Florida A&M, 5-4.  The Pioneers also lost a 5-0 game to Stetson which is the one common opponent that the two have played thus far on the year.
 
While team has struggled this year hitting just .181 on the year, they have been kept in games thanks to their pitching and defense. The team holds a 3.92 ERA which is fourth in the Northeast Conference and ranks second in the conference with a fielding percentage of .970. Sophomore Jamie Carlson has been the most efficient pitcher on the year for the Pioneers. She holds a 2-3 record with a 2.15 ERA appearing in nine games while throwing 39.0 innings. She also leads the team with 45 strikeouts averaging 8.08 Ks per seven innings.
 
At the plate, seniors Kate Nadler and Justine Sibthorp have led the way. Nadler leads the team with three doubles and four runs scored on the year. Sibthorp holds a .263 average which is tops for the Pioneers and four RBIs which also is a team high.
 
Scouting the Explorers
La Salle enters the weekend having topped the host Hatters in the final game of the Stetson Classic last weekend. The Explorers pulled out a 5-3 win thanks in part to home runs from Christina Bascara and Michelle Hagarty. The Explorers also dropped an 8-1 decision to No. 25 Kansas in a game that was 2-1 heading into the seventh inning.
 
Junior Mary Cate Scott has proved nearly unhittable early in the year. The junior ranks fifth in Division I with an ERA of .44 on the year as she has allowed only a single earned run in 16 innings of work. She also leads the team with 14 strikeouts on the year and has earned the team's sole win. Freshman McKenzie Peace has come in and seen considerable time in the circle in her first year on campus. She has thrown 12.1 innings thus far racking up four strike outs. Senior Alicia Aughton has also contributed on the rubber throwing 8.2 innings with six strikeouts and an ERA of 6.47.
 
Sophomore Christina Bascara leads the team with a .308 batting average as well with three RBIs on the year. She is tied for the lead with classmate Michelle Hagarty as each has one homerun on the year. Hagarty leads the team having scored three runs on the young season. Bascara, Hagarty, and freshman Taylor Rohrbaugh all have notched doubles on the year with Rohrbaugh recording the double in her first career at bat. Sophomore transfer Tori Gollie leads the way with a .429 batting average on the season.

Up Next
The Explorers return home for their first Atlantic 10 series of the weekend. La Salle will host George Mason with a doubleheader slated for Saturday beginning at noon and a single game on Sunday also at noon. The games will take place at the West Campus Softball Field.