NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Weather may be a bigger concern than the oppositions for each team in the Lady Bison Classic.
Due to expected weather issues the classic will open Thursday at 4 p.m. with Lipscomb, 12-6-1, hosting Buffalo, 1-13, at Draper Diamond at Smith Stadium as the Bisons face the Bulls.
Lipscomb opened at home last weekend and won four games in the Purple/Gold Challenge.
Five Lipscomb players are batting above .300 heading into the weekend. Jordan Fortel is hitting .371 followed by Katie Turner (.364), Hannah DeVault (.345), Peyton Ward (.344) and Destinee Brewer (.342).
In the circle, Mandy Jordan, named ASUN Pitcher of the Week, is 5-3 with a 3.08 earned run average. She has struck out 55 batters in 49.2 innings. Katie Turner is the staff leader with a 6-1 record and a 1.74 ERA.
DeVault, the ASUN Player of the Week, is tied with Fortel for the team lead in runs batted in with 12. DeVault leads Lipscomb with three home runs and seven doubles.
DeVault has the longest active hitting streak on team at seven games.
Graysen Gladden is tied for ASUN Conference lead in steals with nine. Ward is tied for second with eight.
THE TEAMS
Buffalo: The Bulls, from the Mid-American Conference, have lost their last seven games.
They have one batter hitting above .300. Anna Aguon leads team with a .316 average. Catrell Robertson is the team lead in runs batted in with 10.
Ally Power, 1-7, has a 5.55 earned run average.
Valparaiso: Valparaiso enters the weekend fresh from a 4-0 shutout of North Carolina State. Valparaiso, from the Missouri Valley Conference, is 6-8.
The Crusaders have four players batting above .300. Jaymee Lawton leads the way at .343 followed by Carly Trepanier (.333), Jaima Westphal (.324) and Morgan Matlin (.323).
Kelsie Packard, 5-3, leads the Crusaders in the circle. She has posted a 2.62 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 48 innings.
NEXT
Friday afternoon at 3 the Lady Bisons are scheduled for a rematch with Buffalo.
Saturday Lipscomb faces Valparaiso at 2:30. Sunday the two teams will meet again at 11 a.m.
