Lady Rams Looking for Payback When they Face NCCU - WINSTON-SALEM STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

April 13, 2007

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (9-26) will have a couple of things on their mind when they host the North Carolina Central Lady Eagles (26-8, 18-0 CIAA) in a home doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Rams will head into the game looking to keep its recent strong play going while also seeking a bit of payback for a Lady Eagle squad that swept a doubleheader in Durham to open the season.

The Lady Rams have been playing well lately winning three of the team's last six games, including handing the South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs an 11-2 mercy rule loss in Orangeburg last Friday afternoon. The WSSU freshmen have been leading the way for the team lately with freshman pitcher Ashley Boswell batting .339 with nine RBI. Freshman outfielder Devyn Gillette is currently third on the team with a .273 batting average and 10 RBI. Though the team has had its troubled spots this season, the WSSU offense has picked up lately with four Lady Rams notching double-digit RBI this season. Sophomore infielder Kendall Sutton and sophomore Amber Shore are tied for the team lead with 12 RBI each.

The two teams opened the season in Durham with NCCU taking a doubleheader sweep from the Lady Rams, 3-2, and 13-5. Gillette was the only Lady Ram to notch multiple hits in the game going 2-for-5 from the plate in the two games combined. Sutton added three RBI in the two games as well.

The team will have a tall order ahead of them, however, facing a North Carolina Central team that has been dominant this season with a 26-8 overall record to go along with an 18-0 record in the CIAA. Of the Lady Eagles' eight losses, however, two of them came against teams that the Lady Rams have already defeated. The Lady Eagles head into the game riding a 16-game winning streak. The team posted a pair of big wins over Livingstone 22-1 and 8-0, Thursday afternoon. The NCCU offense knocked out a total of 27 hits in the two games, including 19 hits in the game one victory. Sophomore third baseman Sophia Blue currently leads the Lady Eagles with a .535 batting average and 43 RBI this season. She is one of nine Lady Eagles batting over .300 this season, including six batters over .400. Freshman Michelle Ishida leads the way for the Lady Eagles with 45 RBI this season.

The two teams are scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start at South Park Field In Winston-Salem, NC with game two beginning twenty minutes after the end of the first game. Admission to both games is free.

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