Troy that again
The Florida Atlantic softball team faces Troy in the opening round of a Sun Belt tournament the Owls need to win if they want to reach the NCAA Regionals.
Originally published on
5/5/2009
by
Chuck King
For a team that just a couple of weeks ago wasn’t sure it would even qualify for the Sun Belt Conference’s softball tournament, Florida Atlantic now finds itself matched against one of its best possible opponents.
The seventh-seeded Owls draw No. 2 seeded Troy in the final game of the first round of the tournament, which begins Wednesday in Denton, Texas
“It doesn’t matter, we are going to have to beat them all anyways,” said Joyce, whose Owls in all likelihood need to win the tournament to advance to the NCAAs. “The way I look at, I’m glad we’re not going to play Louisiana-Lafayette first, but after that it doesn’t matter.”
The Owls may have lost the early April regular season series at Troy 2-1, but it wasn’t without controversy. The first game of the series was tied 2-2 in the seventh and the Owls had runners on first and second when Amber Barton took a pitch that appeared to be ball four. The umpire, however, said it was only the third ball. Troy proceeded to tag out the runner on second, Ambar Jones, who was trotting to third base.
“It would have been bases loaded with two out,” an obviously still peeved Joyce said on Saturday. “Instead we’re going to the bases and they throw down to third and tag our girl and we are out of the inning. It took an opportunity away from us, but they were all really close games.”
FAU failed to score in the inning, eventually losing the game in extra innings.
The Owls lost 13 conference games in 2009, five more than in any other season since the program’s inception dating back to 1995, but may be playing their best ball right now.
Plagued by injuries, FAU lost two of its best players, Caitlyn Bliss and Becky Brandies, for a month each during the middle of the season. Both are back on the field.
“We’re picking it up now,” Brandies said. “It’s a good time to be peaking.”
The Owls have also been without pitcher Rose Gressley, who missed the last couple weeks because of a sprained ankle.
Joyce expects Gressley (8-11, 2.02 ERA) to be ready to start against Troy on Wednesday, but if she can’t go freshman Carrie Ann Potter (6-7, 1.83) will get the ball.
FAU will also likely be without starting center fielder Christine Houghtaling for the tournament opener. Houghtaling, who sprained her thumb in the season finale against Florida International, may be able to return as the tournament progresses.
“We’ve got to bring our bats and hit the ball and we should be good to go,” Joyce said. “I don’t think anybody is going to think that we are going to be a pushover. Of all the teams, I would be afraid to play us.”
Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship at a glance
When: Wednesday through Saturday
Where: Denton, Texas (University of North Texas)
Follow live: Gametracker (Saturday’s 4 p.m. championship game will be televised live on CSS)
Scouting the Owls: Caitlyn Bliss’ .360 batting average is nearly 90 points higher than any other Owl. …Blair Bodenmiller’s seven home runs paces the Owls, as do her 29 runs scored. …Amber Barton’s 21 RBIs is one more than Bodenmiller’s. …Freshman pitcher Carrie Ann Potter’s 21 starts leads the Owls, as does her 1.83 ERA, but she is tied for third on the team with 6 wins. Rose Gressley’s eight wins leads FAU.
Tournament Seeds: 1. Louisiana-Lafayette (18-5, .783), 2. Troy (15-8, .652), 3. WKU (14-9, .608), 4. FIU (13-11, .542), 5. North Texas (11-12, .478), 6. South Alabama (10-12, .455), 7. Florida Atlantic (10-13, .435), 8. ULM (7-15, .318)
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday
11:00 a.m. Game 1 #4 FIU vs. #5 North Texas
1:30 p.m. Game 2 #1 Louisiana-Lafayette vs. #8 ULM
4:00 p.m. Game 3 #3 WKU vs. #6 USA
6:30 p.m. Game 4 #2 Troy vs. #7 FAU
Thursday
11:00 a.m. Game 5 L Game 1 vs. L Game 2
1:30 p.m. Game 6 L Game 3 vs. L Game 4
4:00 p.m. Game 7 W Game 1 vs. W Game 2
6:30 p.m. Game 8 W Game 3 vs. W Game 4
Friday
11:00 a.m. Game 9 L Game 7 vs. W Game 5
1:30 p.m. Game 10 L Game 8 vs. W Game 6
4:00 p.m. Game 11 W Game 7 vs. W Game 9
6:30 p.m. Game 12 W Game 8 vs. W Game 10
Saturday
Championship game: 4 p.m.