Softball Set for Summit League Tournament

FARGO, N.D. - The second-seeded IPFW Mastodons prepare for the 2013 Summit League Softball Tournament this weekend at the Ellig Sports Complex hosted by North Dakota State.

When: Thursday, May 9 (4 p.m.) | Friday, May 10 (time TBD) | Saturday, May 11 (time TBD)
Where: Fargo, N.D. | Ellig Sports Complex
Live Stats: North Dakota State Live Stats

ABOUT IPFW
IPFW heads into the 2013 Summit League Tournament with a 31-13 overall record, and 12-4 mark in the Summit League this year, earning the second seed in the tournament.

This season the team's offense has been led by Ashleigh Bousquet who is batting .406 and has scored 33 runs with team-highs in doubles (14), triples (2), home runs (7), RBI's (37), slugging percentage (.699), walks (25), and on-base percentage (.512). Larissa Franklin is batting .369 with 33 runs scored and 26 stolen bases, one off of her own school single-season record, while Alex Bousquet hits .323, also with 33 runs sxored, while driving in 20 with 11 doubles and four home runs. Dani Pugh (.314 avg.) is second on the team with 36 RBI's, while Brittany Kachur hits .276 on the year.

The pitching staff is led by Miranda Kramer, who has a 1.67 ERA, also has single-season school records in wins (21-7 overall record), and strikeouts (240), the latter of the two figures leading the Summit League this season, and is the seventh-highest total in Summit League history. Megan Flenniken is 9-6 on the year with a 2.60 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 121.0 innings of work.

Opponent: No. 1 Seed North Dakota State (30-14, 17-1 Summit)
All-Time Series: NDSU leads 17-8

SCOUTING THE BISON
North Dakota State comes into the tournament as the No. 1 seed with a 17-1 Summit League record, and a 30-14 mark overall this season. NDSU's only loss this season in Summit League play came in the final weekend of the year against the South Dakota Coyotes.

This season the team has been led by catcher Jenina Ortega, who bats .348 with seven home runs and 26 RBI's, also leading the team in slugging at .625. Logan Moreland hits .287, while Alyssa Reina (.269), and Amanda Grable (.267) hit over .260 on the season. Grable leads the team with nine home runs and 29 RBI's, while Cheyenne Garcia has stolen a dozen bases.

Whitney Johnson paces the pitching staff with a 21-7 overall record and a 1.52 ERA. She has 230 strikeouts in 188.1 innings of work, while opponents hit just .164 against her this season. Krista Menke, last season's Summit League Pitcher of the Year, is 8-7 with a 3.79 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 81.1 innings.

ALL-TIME SERIES vs. NDSU
IPFW and North Dakota State have faced off 25 times, 24 since 2005, and nine times over the past two years. North Dakota State holds a 17-8 lead in the all-time series, and have won four straight meetings, including in the championship game of last season's Summit League Tournament.

Opponent: No. 3 Seed South Dakota (29-18, 12-7 Summit)
All-Time Series: IPFW leads 5-1

SCOUTING THE COYOTES
South Dakota comes into their first-ever Summit League Tournament with a 29-18 overall record, and a 12-7 mark in Summit League play. The Coyotes have won four of their last six games, including the lone blemish on the North Dakota State conference record.

Offensively the Coyotes hit .288 for the year, and have six players at or near .300 batting, led by Yvon Minogue's .372 average. Matley Jones (.325), Katie Dinning (.323), Allie Daly (.311), Morgan Hancock (.311), and Lindsey Boyd (.294) all are above the .290 mark. Boyd has scored 48 times, while Daly has Summit League-highs in doubles (16), home runs (13), and RBI's (52), while Boyd has 33 stolen bases, which also leads the Summit League.

The pitching staff has been led by Erica Denney who is 17-7 with a 2.15 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 175.2 innings of work. Missy Blackburn is 4-2 this year with a 3.13 ERA, while Madison Frain is 7-9 with a 4.23 ERA. Frain leads the latter pair with 92 strikeouts in 91.0 innings, with Blackburn striking out 24 in 47 innings of work.

ALL-TIME SERIES vs. USD
IPFW holds a 5-1 lead in the all-time series with the South Dakota Coyotes, including winning the last five meetings, and both from this year in Vermillion, S.D. USD took the first game of the series 2-1 in Kissimmee, Fla., before IPFW swept the Coyotes in the series finale a season ago.

Opponent: No. 4 Kansas City (17-25, 6-7 Summit)
All-Time Series: IPFW leads 10-8

SCOUTING THE KANGAROOS
Kansas City earns a spot into its third consecutive Summit League Tournament with a 6-7 Summit League record, but have lost eight of their last nine games, including a split with the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the regular-season finale weekend.

Leading the way offensively for the 'Roos was Bri Wyatt who leads five players that bat over .300 on the season at .375, while Liz Broyles (.362), Emily Ott (.333), Caitlin Christopher (.329), and Brooke Parker (.308) all hit over .300 on the year. Parker leads the team with 28 runs scored, one ahead of teammate Marlee Maples, while Maples also leads the team with 29 RBI's, as Katie Kelley has a team-best five home runs.

The pitching staff is led by Deanna Friese, the 2011 Summit League Pitcher of the Year, who has a 12-11 record, and a 6.00 ERA, striking out 172 batters in 144 innings, while opponents hit .270 against her. Cinda Ramos is 4-13, with a 7.67 ERA and 44 strikeouts and 46 walks in 97.1 innings.

ALL-TIME SERIES vs. UMKC
IPFW and Kansas City have met 18 times prior, despite having their series this season canceled because of weather. The Kangaroos led 6-2 early in the all-time series, but IPFW has closed strong, winning eight of the last 10, including 9-0 in an elimination game last year in the Summit League Tournament.

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics

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