SUNDAY LIVE STATS: GAME ONE / GAME TWO
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology softball team will have to wait two more days to honor its seniors. Due to inclement weather, the doubleheader with Mount St. Joseph scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. has been moved to Monday (April 27) at 5 p.m. The Fightin' Engineers will still travel to Manchester for doubleheader scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 26.
The softball program will honor two seniors as the doubleheader against Mount St. Joseph marks the final home regular season contests for the Engineers. Carly Heibel and Jessica Ahlborn have made significant impacts on the program through their four years.
Heibel, a native of Fort Wayne, Ind., is the program's career leader in home runs (18), runs batted in (78), and doubles (45) while ranking in the top five in numerous other records. This season, Heibel is leading the squad batting .402 and has hit a team-high 12 doubles. On the pitching mound, Heibel carries a 1.80 earned run average in 23.1 innings pitch with a 4-1 record.
Ahlborn, a native of Houghton, Mich., is second in program history with 12 career home runs and ranks in the top ten in stolen bases, on-base percentage, and batting average. This year, Ahlborn is batting at a .259 clip with two home runs and 13 runs batted in. In addition, Ahlborn has yet to be caught stealing having swiped two bags this year.
Rose-Hulman enters the weekend with a 19-11 overall record, just one win away from the program's first 20-win season since the 2008 campaign. The Engineers also stand at 5-7 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) play. Rose-Hulman most recently swept a doubleheader with non-conference foe Webster. In the series, the Engineers won game one 12-3 in six innings and game two 14-13 in eight innings after trailing 13-9 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
Heibel leads the team offensively averaging .402 and 12 doubles, four home runs, and 24 RBI. Freshman Jenny Miller broke the old record of six home runs in a season by hitting her sixth and seventh long balls of the year in the second game against Webster. Miller also bats .391, has drawn 19 walks, and leads the team with 27 RBI. Juniors Jett Bender and Marissa Stout along with freshman Michelle Korf also bat over .300 for the year.
Rose-Hulman has used four pitchers primarily throughout the season. Heibel, who earned two wins in one day against Webster, is 4-1 on the year with a 1.80 ERA. Miller also pitches, and carries a 2-4 record and 2.86 ERA into the final weekend. Junior Taylor Lockhart leads the team with a 7-4 record and 76 innings pitched. Stout has also pitched this season, and has a 6-2 record with a 3.77 ERA.
Mount St. Joseph comes into the weekend with a 16-12 overall record and a 4-8 mark in HCAC play. The Lions are 1-3 in their last four contests, dropping a doubleheader to Anderson and splitting a doubleheader with Hanover. Morgan Kain leads the Mount offensively with a .353 batting average and is second on the squad with 16 runs batted in. On the mound, Danielle Nichelson carries a 2.95 ERA into the weekend.
Manchester comes into the weekend with a 13-14 record and an 8-6 mark in HCAC play. The Spartans, coached Josh Dzurick (also women's basketball coach at Manchester), have dropped their last four contests, falling in doubleheaders to Alma and Bluffton. Laurren Ladwig leads Manchester offensively with a .375 batting average and eight home runs. Senior Ashlea Nash has a 3.10 earned runs average in 70.0 innings pitched.
Next Tuesday, the HCAC will determine who qualifies for the 2015 HCAC Tournament. The top four teams in the league will receive bids to the tournament.
