The Sacred Heart University softball team will travel to Maryland for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference series against Mount St. Mary’s, beginning Saturday, April 18, at Our Lady of the Meadows Field in Emmitsburg.
This series is important as both teams look to improve their standings within the conference. Sacred Heart aims to bounce back after losing a doubleheader to Rhode Island on Wednesday at Pioneer Park. In those games, Rhode Island won the opener 8-0 and took the second game 11-5. Despite falling behind early in game two, Sacred Heart rallied with key hits from Alexa Barbera and Katherine Burras but could not overcome Rhode Island’s offense.
First-year third baseman Ella Stoops has been a bright spot for Sacred Heart recently. She has collected hits in three of her last four games and contributed defensively with multiple putouts and assists over her recent appearances.
Mount St. Mary’s enters the weekend with a 14-13 overall record and a 9-7 mark in conference play, placing them sixth in league standings. The team is returning home after being swept by Canisius but holds a four-game home winning streak at Our Lady of the Meadows Field. While Mount St. Mary’s ranks low in batting average and earned run average within the conference, they lead the league in stolen bases (74) and triples (11). Junior Avery Dinges leads their offense with notable statistics including a .408 batting average and ranking third nationally with 32 stolen bases.
Historically, Sacred Heart leads the all-time series against Mount St. Mary’s by a margin of 27-24 since their first meeting in 1986; games played in Maryland are tied at 14 wins each for both teams. This weekend marks their first encounter as Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponents.
Looking ahead, Sacred Heart will return home to host Iona for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 21.
