Winter Haven, Fla.—The University of Minnesota Crookston softball team is in a bit of a rough patch, losing six straight games, including four games to MIAA opponents down in Topeka, Kan.
 
Minnesota Crookston will look to get back to their winning ways this week, as they travel to the sunshine state for eight games in Winter Haven, Fla. The Golden Eagles will open up in Florida with a game against Franklin Pierce University, located in Rindge, N.H.
 
Mon., March 16
vs Franklin Pierce University (1:45 P.M.)
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vs TBA
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Tues., March 17
vs Pace University (N.Y.) (9:15 A.M.)
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vs Shepherd University (WV) (11:30 A.M.)
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Thur., March 19
vs Millersville University (PA) (11:15 A.M.)
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vs Saint Michaels College (VT) (1:30 P.M.)
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Fri., March 20
vs Purdue Northwest (IN) (8 A.M.)
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vs Eckerd College (FL) (10:15 A.M.)
 
Minnesota Crookston
The Golden Eagles will look to get back to their winning ways when they travel down to the sunshine of Florida for eight games.
 
The Golden Eagles are led offensively by Malia Pula (Sr., UT, Gilroy, Calif.) and Cassie Querry (Jr., C, Cassville, Pa.), who are hitting .426 and .375 respectively. Querry, an NSIC Player of the Week earlier this season, leads the team with 17 RBI's and four homeruns. Mika Rodriguez (Sr., UT, Laveen, Ariz.) is also off to a nice start offensively, as she currently sits second on the team with 10 runs scored. Jordan Peterson (Jr., UT, Lakeville, Minn.) and Gabriella Blomdahl (Fr., OF, Duluth, Minn.) are hitting .289 and .277, respectively.
 
In the field, the Golden Eagles have been pretty good. As a team, Minnesota Crookston has 22 errors on the season and a .953 fielding percentage.
 
For the Golden Eagles in the circle, it's been a pretty solid 1-2 punch for Head Coach Travis Owen, as he has used Paige Pitlick (Sr., P, Jordan, Minn.) and Kamryn Frisk (Jr., P/1B, Anchorage, AK) for a combined 13 starts. Pitlick, who recently broke the all-time career strikeouts for Minnesota Crookston has been outstanding this season. Pitlick is ninth in the conference with her 2.24 ERA, fourth in the conference with 43.2 innings pitched and is seventh in opponents' batting average, giving up just a .206 average to opposing hitters.
 
Franklin Pierce University
The Ravens are on a roll as they head into The Spring Games in Florida. Franklin Pierce has won six games in a row and sit at 10-1 on the season. Their first game in Florida is against the University of Sioux Falls on Friday.
 
Sophomore Maiah Lopez is off to an outstanding start, leading the Ravens with 10 hits in 24 at-bats and a .417 batting average. Lopez also leads her team with a .622 on-base percentage. The Ravens aren't going to hit the ball out of the park very often, hitting just four homeruns as a team, but Gina Hinckley leads the team with two homeruns and six extra base hits.
 
Cyrena Zemaitis is the leader in the circle for FPU. The Goshen, Conn., native is 6-0 with a .72 ERA in 29 innings pitched on the season. The junior has three complete games as well for the Ravens. Amelia Mamone is 2-0 on the season in 26 innings pitched as well.
 
Pace University (NY)
The Setters have an unblemished record at 6-0 on the season. All but two have their wins have been by one run, while one win was a two run game and winning another game, 20-3, over Bluefield State College.
 
Briana Ryan and Gwen Pederson lead the way for the Setters, who have scored 41 runs as a team through six games. Ryan is hitting .550 on the season, with 11 hits in 20 at-bats and seven RBI's. Pederson is hitting .476 with 10 RBI's and a whopping four triples through six games. Arielle Acosta leads her team with eight runs scored on the season.
 
As a whole, Pace as an outstanding starting rotation in the circle. Maxibel Garcia, Kate Dolinski, Mackenzie Garrick and Madison Nicholson have each started at least one game on the season for the Setters and each carry a sub 3.00 ERA. The rotation has combined for forty strikeouts and a 2.63 ERA on the season.
 
Shepherd University (WV)
The 4-6 Rams will take a trip down to Florida in the midst of a little bit of a slump, losing three out of four games, with their lone win being a 1-0 victory over the University of Virginia-Wise.
 
The Rams have a dangerous trio in their lineup. Nicole Purtell leads her team with a .469 average, while LeAnn Brown and Ashley Burger are second and third on the team, in terms of average. Purtell leads the team with one homerun and 10 RBI's. As a team, the Rams hit .301 on the season.
 
In the circle, Sarah Lamper and Katie Laing have so far led the way for Shepherd. Lamper is 1-1 on the season in 14 innings pitched, while striking out 16. Laing is 2-2 with a 2.27 ERA, while striking out 12. The Rams have a 4.89 team ERA.
 
Millersville University (PA)
Millersville currently has a 3-4 record after splitting their games with Lock Haven last week. As a team, the Marauders are hitting .251 with six home runs and 31 runs batted in. Brianna Battavio leads the way for the Marauders batting .381 with five runs scored, a home run and two RBI's on the season. Karysa Karas is also batting .348 with three runs scored and three RBI's.
 
On the mound, Emma Bevard is the Marauders ace as she has a 2.89 ERA and a record of 2-2. Bevard has recorded 23 strikeouts on the season in her 26.2 innings pitched. Gabi Turner has also played a role at pitcher this season as she has pitched 8.2 innings with an ERA of 5.65 and five strikeouts.

Saint Michaels College (VT)
St. Michael's has yet to play a game this year, but they do return some key pieces to their roster. Torie Rathwell should look to lead the way as she hit .352 last season with 14 runs scored, three homeruns, and 11 RBI's. Danielle Markowski also returns after hitting .291 last season with 10 runs scored, three home runs, and 11 RBI's as well.
 
Torie Rathwell also was the Purple Knights' go to pitcher last season. Rathwell pitched 155.1 innings with a 4.33 ERA while tallying 93 strikeouts. Sydney Longley will also return on the mound after pitching 28 innings last season with a 9.75 ERA and recorded seven strikeouts.

Purdue Northwest (IN)
Purdue Northwest has a 2-7 record currently in the 2019-20 season. The Pride are hitting .251 as a team with four home runs and 34 RBI's and 11 doubles. Aubrey Shroyer is hitting .464 with seven runs scored and an RBI on the year. Amanda Noblett is hitting .321 and leading the team in runs scored and runs batted in with eight and nine respectively.
 
Courtney Blackwell has been seeing the most time in the circle for the Pride as she has 22 innings pitched. Blackwell currently has a 0-4 record and 6.55 ERA, but has tallied 14 strikeouts. Ashley Bravo has a 3.86 ERA in her seven innings pitched on the season, Bravo has tallied three strikeouts as well.

Eckerd College (FL)
Eckerd has a plethora of games under their belt this season as they currently hold an 8-12 record. The Tritons are batting .276 as a team with 75 runs scored, five homeruns, and 65 RBI's. Hannah Famiano is hitting .404 at the plate with eight runs scored, six RBI's and three doubles on the season. Ally Costa is leading the team in runs scored with 15 while also hitting .354. In addition, Costa has added a homerun and six RBI's.
 
In the circle, Kensley Durrance yields a 5-7 record with a 2.66 ERA. She currently has 59 strikeouts in her 65.2 innings pitched. Madison Saltzmann is carrying a 1.62 ERA with 11 strikeouts and a win under her belt.