EDWARDSVILLE – SIUE softball begins a six-game road swing Tuesday with a matchup at Saint Louis.
Game time is 5:30 p.m. at the Billiken Sports Center.
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SIUE enters the contest with a 34-8 record while the Billikens currently hold a 17-19 record. The Cougars are coming off a doubleheader sweep of Southeast Missouri this past Friday. SLU took two of three games at George Washington.
"They are well-coached. Playing at SLU is never easy," said SIUE Head Coach Sandy Montgomery.
Saint Louis is the fourth Atlantic 10 school to face the Cougars. SIUE previously defeated UMass, LaSalle and Saint Joseph's in early nonconference play. The LaSalle win was No. 1,000 for Montgomery.
SLU's Allie MacFarlane is the top run producer for the Billikens. She has a team-leading seven home runs and 36 RBIs. Alex Nickel is the leading hitter with a .351 batting average. Maddie Baalman leads the pitching staff with a 9-8 record and a 2.42 earned run average.
SIUE has four starters hitting better than .300 this season led by freshman Zoe Schafer (.354) and senior Allison Smiley (.353). They are followed by sophomore leadoff hitter Alyssa Heren (.323) and senior shortstop Sarah Lopesilvero (.320).
The Cougar pitching staff holds a 1.79 earned run average. Senior Haley Chambers-Book is ranked fifth nationally in wins with 21. She also is No. 9 among NCAA Division I pitchers with 212 strikeouts.
"We're looking to continue to win and try to peak at the end of the year," said Montgomery. "The midweek games have a lot to do with that. Other players can get opportunities. You can work on some things while still competing."
This is SIUE's only midweek game before returning to Ohio Valley Conference play with a Saturday doubleheader at Jacksonville State and a Sunday doubleheader at Tennessee Tech.
