Weekly Notes | Live stats for both games

Up First . . .
The Washburn Lady Blues softball team will look to snap a five-game losing streak when they continue a 10-game home stand on Friday as they will play host to Missouri Western on April Fool's Day then take on Emporia State on Saturday afternoon. Washburn (9-15, 0-2 MIAA) was swept in its MIAA opener on March 25 falling to Northwest Missouri 7-2 and 3-2. Missouri Western enters the Friday doubleheader with a 20-7 overall mark and will be playing its first MIAA games of the season while Emporia State is 21-6 and 2-0 in conference play entering a April 1st double header with Fort Hays State before taking on Washburn on April 2.  Both Missouri Western and Emporia State were tied at No. 25 in the March 23rd NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll.

In the dugout . . .
Lisa Carey, the all-time winingest coach at Washburn, is in her ninth season in the Lady Blues' dugout. She was named the program's 13th coach Aug. 14, 2002 and has recorded a 246-206 (.563) mark during her Washburn tenure.  The former University of Oklahoma three-time All-American and National Champion has led the Lady Blues to two of the three NCAA Division II tournament appearances in school history making the trips in 2006 and 2008. She has led the Lady Blues to two of the three NCAA appearances in school history. In eight seasons at the helm of the program, she has coached 52 Lady Blues to all-MIAA honors, seven all-region team selections, the 2007 MIAA Freshman of the Year, the 2009 MIAA Most Valuable Player, 49 MIAA Academic Honor Roll award winners as well as an ESPN The Magazine Academic all-district selection.

A look at the opponents . . .
The Griffons are 20-7 this season and they were swept last time out on March 24 by Wayne State College. Friday's games will be the Griffons' first MIAA contests of the season. At the MIAA Crossover, Missouri Western went 5-1 losing to Emporia State 3-1. The Griffons are batting .285 as a team holding opponents to a .195 batting average while MWSU pitchers have a combined 1.38 ERA and have outscored its opponents 128 to 59.
Emporia State enters the April 2 game with a 21-6 record and a 2-0 mark in MIAA play. The Hornets will take on Fort Hays State on Friday before facing Washburn the following day. The Hornets swept Southwest Baptist 19-0 and 8-0 in their conference opener. Overall ESU has won 17 of its last 18 games.  As a team ESU is batting .331 while opponents are hitting .211. The ESU pitching staff has an ERA of 1.67.

Series history. . .
• The Lady Blues lead the all-time series with Missouri Western 40-31 and have won two of the last three meetings. Last season, the teams split the MIAA games and Washburn picked up a win at the MIAA Crossover.
• Emporia State: The Hornets lead the series 68-45 and have won the last 23 straight. The last Lady Blues win in the series was on April 20, 2005 in a 4-3 win.  During the 23-game streak Washburn has been outscored 146 to 34 including 10 run-rule games.

Who's on deck? . . .
Washburn returns to action with a midweek double header hosting Fort Hays State on April 5 before hitting the road for a pair of twin bill games at Pittsburg State and at Missouri Southern on April 8th and 9th.

Last time out for the Lady Blues. . .
March 25 - Game 1 - NWMSU 7 - WU 2
Game 2 - NWMSU 3 - WU 2
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Lady Blues were swept in their MIAA-opening doubleheader falling to Northwest Missouri 7-2 and 3-2 at the Washburn Softball Complex.
In the first game, the Lady Blues (9-15, 0-2 MIAA) jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the second inning scoring two runs on back to back to back singles by Shelby Erickson, Lauren Himpel and Marisa Tetuan. Erickson scored on a single by Tetuan and Marissa Martin drew a bases loaded walk sending Lauren Himpel home. However Northwest scored five runs five runs in the top of the third inning sending nine batters to the plate while adding two unearned runs in the top of the seventh. The Bearcats' Jenna Creger retired 15 of the last 17 Washburn batters to finish the game striking out eight. Erickson had two of Washburn's four hits in the opener and Kelsie Novotny (5-6) took the loss striking out seven.
In the nightcap, the Bearcats scored two in the top of the first and added a solo run in the top of the third to take a 3-0 lead. Washburn added solo runs in the fourth and fifth to cut the lead to 3-2. In the fourth inning, Washburn's Britny Cushing hit a solo home run to left field and Alex Zordel drove in Lauren Himpel in the fifth inning with a single up the middle. Washburn lef the tying run on third in the bottom of the sixth inning but could not tie up the score and then Washburn went down in order in the seventh. Lauren Himpel had two hits as did Cushing. Lindsey Moore had her second double of the season. Danielle Fox (4-9) took the loss striking out seven.

Player notes . . .
1 • Britny Cushing • Has three multiple RBI games this season
2 • Lindsey Himpel • Has been relegated to pinch hitting and running the remainder of the season with arm injury
4 • Katie Schroeder • Tied for team lead with 3 multiple RBI games
5 • Lauren Himpel • Tied for the team lead with six multiple hit games
7 • Kacy Covert • Tied for team lead with five stolen bases
8 • Marissa Martin • Has started 23 games in the outfield this season
10 • Marisa Tetuan • Riding a seven-game hitting streak into Washburn's next game batting .411 during the streak
13 • Lindsey Moore • Reached base during eight straight games at one point this season
16 • Jessie McGown • Has a hit in only at bat this season
17 • Paige Hightower • Batting 1 of 2 when bases are empty this season
18 • Jacque Horejsi • Batting .257 with runners on base this season
20 • Kelsie Novotny • Averaging 8.6 outs per game from ground balls
21 • Danielle Fox • Averaging 7.71 K's/per game
22 • Shelby Erickson • Team-high 12 hits with bases empty batting  .353 (12 of 34)
23 • Alex Zordel • Batting .324 with runners on base this season
25 • Hilary Weatherford • Batting .469 with bases empty this season going 15 of 32 leading the team with nine 2-out RBI.