Softball Heads To Philly With A Postseason Spot On The Line

PHILADELPHIA – The St. Bonaventure softball team (17-23, 6-10 Atlantic 10 Conference) hits the road this weekend for the final four games of its regular season against Saint Joseph's and Temple with a postseason spot on the line.

The Bonnies open the weekend with a game on Friday against Saint Joe's at 3 p.m. before closing the series on Saturday with a Noon first pitch. Bona will then battle Temple in a Sunday doubleheader beginning at Noon to conclude the regular season.

A-10 SCENARIO: The top six teams qualify for next week's A-10 Championship at Saint Louis. Currently, the Bonnies sit in 9th place with a 6-10 mark. Saint Joseph's is in 8th with a 7-10-1 record, Saint Louis is in 7th at 8-10 and Dayton is in 6th with an 8-9 mark.

With a sweep this weekend of all four games AND at least a series split by Saint Louis AND Dayton, Bonaventure will guarantee itself a spot in the six-team field.

A sweep gets SBU to 10-10 on the year, while if SLU splits it can finish no better than 9-11. Saint Louis hosts George Washington in a Saturday doubleheader. If Dayton splits, it can finish no better than 9-10. The Flyers are at Charlotte (5th place, 9-9) for a doubleheader on Saturday as well.

LAST TIME OUT: St. Bona will be looking to rebound from a doubleheader sweep at Binghamton on Tuesday. The Bonnies will be trying to snap a season-high four-game losing streak in which they have scored just one run over those four contests.

SCOUTING SAINT JOSEPH'S: The Hawks have lost three of their last four games. Dana Parks leads the team at the plate with a .322 batting average and 48 hits. Bernadette Moran is close behind with a .321 average, 43 hits and 11 doubles. Those 11 two-baggers represent 31 percent of the Hawks' 36 doubles this season. In the circle, Erin Gallagher just last weekend set the school record for wins with her 63rd career victory. She boasts a 2.00 ERA, which is third-best in the A-10.

SCOUTING TEMPLE: The Owls appear comfortably in the A-10 Championship, sitting at 10-6 in the league and 25-20 overall. Sarah Prezioso leads the offensive attack with a .355 batting average and 50 hits on the season. That .355 average is fourth-best in the conference. Ali Robinson has scored 41 runs this year – second-most in the A-10.

LEADERS: Ashley Snider continues to pace the Bonnies at the plate with a .339 average. Senior Brooke Frey is the lone other Bona player with a batting average over .300 as she's currently connecting at a .313 clip. Snider and Frey both lead Bona with 10 multiple-hit games, and each has a four-RBI game this season.

GET IN FRONT EARLY: When leading after 4 innings of play this year, SBU is a perfect 15-0. However, when trailing after 4 innings, the Bonnies are just 1-19.