FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations

SOMERS, Wis. (Apr. 17, 2014)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside softball team embarks on a grueling stretch of the schedule, playing four doubleheaders over a five-day span across three different states. The Rangers odyssey begins on Friday in Missouri against Great Lakes Valley Conference rival Drury University before facing Missouri University S&T on Saturday. UW-Parkside is idle on Sunday before a home twinbill against non-conference foe Cardinal Stritch University on Monday and a road doubleheader on Tuesday at Lewis University.
 
The Rangers and Panthers begin play on Friday at noon with first pitch slated for 12 p.m. on Saturday as well against the Miners. UW-Parkside and Stritch get underway at 2 p.m. on Monday at the Case Complex while the Rangers and Flyers begin at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, resuming a suspended game before completing the regularly scheduled doubleheader.
 
About the Rangers: UW-Parkside (2-23, 2-17 GLVC) looks to shake a 10-game slide after falling 7-3 to Lewis on Wednesday. All seven of the Flyers runs were unearned, posting a 3-0 advantage after 5 ½ innings before Parkside netted the score in the bottom of the sixth off a Sam Magruder three-run home run. The dinger was Magruder's first home run of her collegiate career, plating Kirsten Luevano and Kalli Gosser. The Flyers utilized a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh to push across the go-ahead run while adding three more scores later in the inning.
 
In game two, Alexis Simone went yard with a solo shot in the bottom of the second before Lewis knotted the score with a run in the fifth. Neither team was able to push across a run the rest of the way before play was suspended after the seventh inning.
 
Kira Cooper continues to lead the squad in hitting in her senior campaign, owning a .410 batting average and scoring a team-high 16 runs. On the basepaths, Cooper has six stolen bases. Gosser is hitting .312 with nine RBIs while Colleen Cummings is hitting at a .289 clip. Luevano leads the team in both home runs (4) and RBIs (18).
 
Carly Dundee is the Rangers ace in the circle, maintaining a 4.75 earned run average in 76 2/3 innings of work. The freshman has 33 strikeouts to her name and has tossed five complete games. Hayley Schneider and Kristin Kleinmeyer both see significant action inside the circle, tossing 33 1/3 and 35 1/3 innings, respectively.
 
About the Panthers: Drury (12-30, 9-15 GLVC) looks to snap a three-game slide after getting drubbed in a non-conference doubleheader against Pittsburg State University. The host Gorillas claimed the opener 11-2 before blanking Drury 14-0 in game two.
 
Carson Forge paces the Panthers, hitting .339 at the dish with 21 extra base hits and 27 RBIs while Kelsey James is hitting .295.
 
Jessica Kjeldgaard has pitched in 153 2/3 of the 270 innings played for Drury, leading the squad with a 3.37 earned run average with 13 complete games, 114 strikeouts and one save.
 
About the Miners: Missouri S&T (10-27, 5-19 GLVC) heads into Friday's clash with Lewis looking to shake a three-game slump. The Miners won the series opener 7-5 against McKendree University on April 12 before getting edged 3-2 in game two. The woes continued on Sunday for S&T, getting swept 11-2 and 9-3 by host University of Illinois Springfield.
 
Andi Davis owns the best batting average of S&T players with at least 100 at-bats, owning a .326 average. Shelby Michaelis is hitting .313 with 16 RBIs while Cailey Baker also has 16 RBIs on the year.
 
Becca Strope has nine complete games and three shutouts inside the circle for S&T, sporting a 3.05 earned run average. Amber Duncan sports a 4.58 ERA in 73 1/3 innings while Bethany Rader has an ERA of 5.31.
 
About the Wolves: NAIA member Cardinal Stritch (24-19, 7-7 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) heads into Friday's CCAC showdown with Trinity International University having dropped three of its last four games. Stritch was swept 4-0 and 7-4 by Saint Xavier University on April 12 before splitting a twinbill against host Trinity Christian College on Wednesday in Palos Heights, Ill. The Wolves fell 9-3 in game one before rebounding with the 4-1 win.
 
Leading the offense for Stritch is Gabi Palacios, hitting .413 with 16 extra base hits and 24 RBIs. Kati Herberg is sporting a .407 average with 34 RBIs while Shannon Caliri boasts a .396 average.
 
Caliri sports a 3.13 earned run average inside the circle, in 72 innings of action while Maggie Tidrow leads the team in both strikeouts (117) and innings pitched (96 2/3) while owning a 4.38 ERA.
 
About the Flyers: Lewis (14-20, 8-13 GLVC) heads into Friday's clash with Missouri S&T riding a four-game win streak. The Flyers' recent  run of success began on Friday afternoon, stealing a 1-0 victory over William Jewell College to salvage a split after dropping the opener 5-2 in extra innings. Lewis went on to sweep Rockhurst University the next day, claiming 1-0 and 10-6 wins before securing the 7-3 victory over UW-Parkside on Wednesday.
 
Nicole Kappelman leads the Flyers with a .362 batting average while Brittany Russell carries a .315 average with 11 RBIs. Carly Jaworski is hitting .283 with 10 extra base hits and 16 RBIs while Ali Brems has a team-high 17 RBIs.
 
Kelly Bowler is the squad's ace in the circle with 73 strikeouts in 117 2/3 innings or work. Bowler owns a team-leading 2.80 earned run average and has tossed 11 complete games. Brems has a 3.92 ERA in 30 1/3 innings of labor while Lainie Schweickert carries a 5.28 ERA with 54 strikeouts.