Softball | April 10, 2015

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – La Salle welcomes Rhode Island to West Campus Softball Field for a three game weekend series. The set will kick off on Saturday with a noon doubleheader and will conclude with a single game on Sunday at noon.
 
La Salle Explorers (6-8; 4-2 A-10) vs. Rhode Island Rams (1-24; 0-8 A-10)
Saturday, April 11, 2015 | 12:00 PM |2:30 PM|  West Campus Softball Field
Live Stats | In-Game Tweets @ExplorerGameDay | Text Alerts
 
La Salle Explorers (6-8; 4-2 A-10) vs. Rhode Island Rams (1-24; 0-8 A-10)
Sunday, April 12, 2015 | 12:00 PM | West Campus Softball Field
Live Stats | In-Game Tweets @ExplorerGameDay | Text Alerts
 
Scouting the Explorers 
La Salle moved into fourth place in the Atlantic 10 thanks to its 4-2 conference record after a doubleheader sweep over St. Bonaventure this past weekend. Freshman Valerie Pineiro went 6-6 with three home runs, eight RBIs, and three runs scored to fuel the Explorers in the sweep.
 
Pineiro and sophomore Christina Bascara have been key components to the Explorers offense this year. The duo is tied for fourth in the conference with a batting average of .429 on the year. The pair also ranks fourth and fifth with .484 and .500 on-base percentages respectively while Pineiro leads the league and is fifth in the country with a slugging percentage of 1.036. Bascara ranks fifth in the A-10 in slugging percentage at .714. Pineiro also ranks 13^th in the country averaging .42 homers per contest. Bascara and Pineiro are tied for 70^th in the nation in batting average while Pineiro's 1.08 RBIs per game ranks 57^th in the nation. Bascara also leads the team with an ongoing seven game hitting streak.
 
In the circle junior Mary Cate Scott, senior Alicia Aughton, and freshman McKenzie Peace have all contributed. Scott has an ERA of 2.90 which is the lowest on the team while recording 23 strikeouts on her way to a 2-2 record with two saves. Aughton and Peace each own 2-3 records. Peace has thrown the most innings of the group at 29.2 while Scott and Aughton are close behind with 29.0 and 28.1 respectively.
 
Scouting the Rams
Rhode Island enters the weekend struggling of late as they are in the midst of a 12 game losing streak after dropping three to Saint Louis over the weekend and a midweek contest to Connecticut

Underclassmen have been a constant in the Rams lineup this season. Sophomore Jenna Cubello leads the team with 11 runs scored on the year, two triples, and six total extra base hits. Freshman KIylie Shivery leads the way with 12 RBIs on the year and is tied for the team lead with one home run. Senior Megan Congro is the only Ram hitting over .300 on the year as she owns a .333 average and is also tops on the team with a .370 on-base percentage.  

Junior Caitlin Kennedy has been a mainstay in the circle for Rhode Island. Kennedy has thrown 81.1 innings and owns a 7.92 ERA while striking out 15 and issuing 45 walks. Sophomore Andrea Chiaradio has pitched in as well throwing 32.0 innings and recording 18 strikeouts.

Up Next
The Explorers have a busy midweek schedule traveling to Villanova on Tuesday and hosting UMBC and Drexel on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. La Salle resumes conference action with a trip to Saint Louis next weekend.