GREENSBORO -- UNCG and Longwood, two good teams both looking to bounce back after tough stretches, will meet in a non-conference three-game series this weekend at UNCG Softball Stadium.
The Spartans and Lancers will play a doubleheader at 2 p.m. Friday, followed by a single game starting at noon Saturday.
Something's got to give.
UNCG (17-11 overall, 3-3 Southern Conference) has lost four of its last five games after an impressive 16-3 stretch. Longwood (15-18, 6-3 Big South) comes in on a five-game losing streak after winning 11 in a row.
Sophomore right-hander
Morgan Scott (8-5, 2.55 ERA) took a tough-luck 4-3 loss at Appalachian State on Wednesday, when she gave up three unearned runs. Scott leads the SoCon in wins and has a league-high 111 strikeouts (32nd in the nation) in 85 innings pitched. Opposing hitters are batting .200 against her.
Freshman right-hander
Alina Varga (7-0, 4.07 ERA) has struck out 44 in 53 1/3 innings and has held opponents to a .249 batting average.
UNCG's potent offense ranks sixth in the nation with an average of 1.79 home runs per game, and the Spartans' SoCon-leading 50 homers are more than Western Carolina, Chattanooga and Furman combined.
Senior second baseman
Jasmine Palmer comes in batting .380 with seven HRs and 20 RBIs, and she leads the SoCon with a .510 on-base percentage. Palmer is on a six-game hitting streak and has reached base in 15 consecutive games. She has hit safely in 11 of her last 12 games.
Senior center fielder
Makenna Matthijs is batting .315 with seven homers, and she leads the SoCon in runs scored (26) and RBIs (25). Freshman third baseman
Maycin Brown is batting .390 with five homers, 17 RBIs and a league-best .729 slugging percentage, and she has hits in 12 of her last 14 games.
Longwood senior right-hander Sydney Backstrom (11-9, 3.23 ERA) is arguably the best pitcher in the Big South and has been a workhorse for the Lancers, appearing in 24 games and striking out 103 in 123 2/3 innings.
Sophomore outfielder Nia Green leads the Lancers with a .292 batting average, while junior Sydney Jacobsen (.278, 5 HRs, 20 RBIs) has a team-high 30 hits, 14 for extra bases. Junior shortstop Mason Basdikis is batting just .198, but she is 20-for-20 in stolen-base attempts.
