SUWANEE, Ga. - The SCAC saw two more milestones reached over the weekend with Millsaps' head coach Roland Rodriguez winning his 200th career game becoming the first coach in SCAC history to do so. Rhodes junior Rebekah Moore clipped the SCAC career home run mark of 20 belting her 21st of her career.

- Around the SCAC -

Austin College took one of three against Southwestern over the weekend, dropping it’s Saturday games 4-2 and 7-5 before splitting it’s Sunday games with a 3-2 win and an 8-2 loss. The ‘Roos are now 10-18 overall and 5-3 in conference play. In game one on Saturday the ‘Roos fell behind 3-0 early and were unable to make up the deficit and then in game two the ‘Roos used a five run sixth inning to grab a 5-3 lead. However, four runs came home for the Pirates and the ‘Roos were unable to come back in the bottom half of the inning in the loss. On Sunday Ashley Johnson gave up two runs on just five hits while striking out four and the ’Roos used a three run third inning to take a 3-2 lead, and that would be all they’d need as neither team scored the rest of the way. In game two the ‘Roos jumped out to a 2-0 lead but a five run inning put the Pirates in the lead for good in the 8-2 loss. Abbey Hayes hit .400 for the weekend and Stefanie Faith hit .375 with two doubles to lead the ‘Roos offensively.

Birmingham-Southern was 4-0 this week on the road against Centre, defeating the Colonels 7-0 and 9-0 on Saturday, and 9-6 and 11-1 on Sunday. Junior Jena Franks was especially impressive offensively for BSC, hitting .563 with four home runs and 12 RBI and a 1.438 slugging percentage. Senior Melissa Muehlenfeld was also 5-6 on stolen bases, and six Panthers hit .400 or better on the week. In the circle, Muehlenfeld went 2-0 with nine strikeouts in two complete games and a shutout, and freshmen Ronni Ferris and Beth Lefler also picked up wins, with Ferris recording a shutout and a save. Overall, the BSC pitching staff has a 1.24 ERA with 14 shutouts and 149 strikeouts, and is allowing a .171 opponent batting average. Offensively, the Panthers are out-scoring their opponents 218-47 and out-hitting them 289-103, and BSC has recorded 95 extra-base hits on the season (64 doubles, 14 triples, 17 home runs).

Centre’s struggles continued as the Colonels lost all six games played this past week. In a mid-week double-header at home against Thomas More, Centre lost both games, 10-5, 9-1. The Colonels looked to regroup going into the four game weekend SCAC series against Birmingham Southern but unfortunately lost all four games. On the first day of play Centre dropped both games to Birmingham Southern by scores of 7-0, 9-0. In the second day of action Centre lost, 9-6, 11-1, to Birmingham Southern. The Colonels are now 4-22 overall with home league games against Sewanee up next.

Colorado College saw a courageous comeback go for naught in Conway, Ark. on Sunday. After rallying from a 4-1 deficit late in Game 2 of their doubleheader against Hendrix College, the Tigers surrendered an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh inning to drop a heartbreaking 5-4 decision. Warriors cruised through five innings of the nightcap until Paige Honsbruch tripled to open the sixth and scored on a two-out single up the middle by Sirina Milsap that pulled the visitors to within 4-2. Then, in the top of the seventh, Alyssa Kallweit doubled home Alie Ehrensaft with one away, then scored on a base hit by Sandy Corliss to even the score at 4-4 and give the Tigers new life. Kallweit earlier had led off the game with a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error and scored on a groundout by Corliss. Hendrix won the opener, 6-0, behind the one-hit pitching of Elizabeth Vaughn, who faced just 25 batters. Other than a leadoff single by right fielder Kerry Cavanaugh in the top of the third inning, Vaughan allowed only three runners to reach base. Despite plenty of activity on the base paths, Colorado College couldn’t crack the victory column on Saturday. The Tigers stranded 16 runners in two games at Hendrix College, falling 8-0 and 2-1 in an SCAC doubleheader. After being shut out on seven hits in the opener, CC took a 1-0 lead in the nightcap on a single by Kallweit, a sacrifice bunt by Corliss and an RBI double by Honsbruch. In the top of the fourth, Milsap singled and reached third on a pair of wild pitches with nobody out. But Milsap, one of seven Tigers left on base in the contest, was left standing there when Hendrix starter Jaclyn Herrera retired the next three hitters without allowing the ball to leave the infield. Kallweit went 3-for-3 in the first game, which ended in the bottom of the sixth inning when the Warriors used a pair of Colorado College errors to score four times with two outs. Cavanaugh, who had a hit and walked twice, joined Kallweit in reaching base three times in the defeat. Milsap, who pitched the entire contest, recorded nine strikeouts while allowing only three earned runs. Erica VanHoosen blanked the Warriors through four innings in Game 2 before giving up a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. The Tigers will travel to Lincoln, Neb., on Saturday for a pair of non-conference games at Nebraska Wesleyan University.

#15 DePauw, ranked 13th by Division III Softball - The Newsletter and 15th in the latest NFCA rankings was 3-1 on the week with a 3-0 loss to Illinois Wesleyan (ranked 12th/18th) and then three wins against Sewanee. The fourth game of the Sewanee series was called off in the first inning due to rain. The Tigers improved to 16-7 overall and 7-0 in the SCAC and extended their SCAC regular season win streak to 25 straight.

Hendrix went 4-0 on the week after taking down SCAC West Division foe Colorado College in a four-game series sweep. The Warriors improved to 15-14 overall and an even 6-6 in conference play. The Warriors used a pair of four-run innings in the opener on Saturday to notch an 8-0 win, and posted a come-from-behind 2-1 win in game two against the Tigers. Hendrix sophomore SS Hanna Braden was a combined 4-for-6 with two triples, while first year RHP/1B Liz Vaughan went 3-for-6 with a pair of triples to help lift the Warriors to their first season series win of 2009 on Sunday. Hendrix won the opener 6-0 and took game two 5-4 to complete the four-game sweep. Braden finished the week with a .584 batting average, .917 slugging percentage and .643 on-base percentage from the lead-off spot. She scored four runs, drove in a pair and hammered two triples. Braden had another solid week at shortstop with seven putouts, 12 assists and no errors.

Millsaps lost 3 of 4 games last weekend at Rhodes, winning the final game of the series in impressive fashion, 12-4 in six innings. The Millsaps bats were held in check in Saturday’s doubleheader, as they were defeated 6-0 and 12-1 (5). Sunday, however, was a different story, as the Majors exploded for 21 runs off 20 hits and split the final two games of the series. After trailing 8-3 after three in Game 1, Millsaps rallied for six runs in the sixth to take a 9-8 lead before surrendering the winning runs in the bottom of the seventh on a pinch-hit, two-out two RBI-single from Cindy Bitters. In the weekend finale, Millsaps scored two runs in the first for an early lead before surrendering four in the bottom half to fall behind 4-2 after one complete. Millsaps then retook the lead in the third, 6-4, with four runs thanks in part to a bases-clearing, RBI-double from Laura Litton with two outs. The Majors would go on to plate a single run in the fourth and five more in the sixth to earn a shortened, 12-4 run-rule victory. Millsaps will continue a stretch of eight consecutive road games this weekend, traveling to Birmingham-Southern for a four-game series with the 25-3 Panthers on Friday and Saturday.

Rhodes went 5-3 this week, improving to 26-6 overall and 11-1 in the SCAC. After dropping a two games to Division II Christian Brothers on Tuesday, the Lynx bounced back on Wednesday to sweep a doubleheader from Mississippi College by scores of 12-4 and 4-2. Rhodes blew open game 1 with a 10-run second inning, highlighted by an inside the park home run from Kelli Zomer, who was 3 for 4 in the game with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Sara Bowen and Armanda Venezia also had 3 RBI in the game for the Lynx. In game 2, Freshman Chelsea Peters held the Choctaw bats in check for 4 2/3 innings, giving up just 1 run, before giving way to Bowen in the 5th. In the bottom of the 4th, Rhodes broke a 1-1 tie with three consecutive 2 out, RBI hits to take a 4-1 lead. Bowen held the Choctaws hitless over the final 2 1/3 innings to earn the save, while Peters picked up her 6th win of the year. On Saturday, Rhodes swept two games from Millsaps by scores of 6-0 and 12-1. Bowen struck out 9 and gave up just 2 hits in game 1, tossing her 5th shutout of the season, while Allison Conn led the Lynx offense by going 1 for 2 with 2 RBI and a sacrifice bunt. In game 2, Zomer belted 2 home runs and Caroline Cooper hit her second of the day to lead the Lynx offense to a 12-1 win over the Majors. Rhodes jumped out to an 8-3 lead in game 1 on Sunday, before the Majors rallied for 6 runs in the top of the 6th to take a 9-8 lead, which they would keep heading into the bottom of the 7th. With the Lynx trailing 9-8, Bowen led off the 7th with a double, followed by a 1-out walk by Armanda Venezia. Jennifer Whatley hit a sharp grounder to short, resulting in Bowen being forced out at third, leaving the Lynx with runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs, trailing by a run. A passed ball allowed Venezia and Whatley to move to second and third, setting the stage for pinch hitter Cindy Bitters. Bitters lined a 3-1 pitch to right, scoring both Venezia and Whatley and giving the Lynx the 10-9 win. Millsaps used a 5-run 6th inning to blow open a 7-4 game in Sunday’s second game, and cruise to a 12-4 win. Kelli Zomer led the Lynx all week, reaching base in every game, and 19 times in 29 plate appearances, and hitting .522 on the week with 10 runs scored, 8 RBI, 3 doubles and 4 home runs. Allison Conn hit .500 on the week, with 6 RBI and 3 doubles and currently has a 7-game hitting streak. Junior Rebekah Moore hit 3 home runs this week, with her 3-run blast in Sunday’s second game giving her 21 for her career, surpassing Centre’s Laura Hufnagle ’08 as the SCAC Career Leader in home runs. Rhodes travels to Greencastle this weekend for a 4-game series with #15 Depauw, who sits in first place in the SCAC East.

Sewanee and DePauw were able to get three of four softball games in the weekend, with the fourth being cancelled for weather. Host DePauw topped the visiting Sewanee Tigers in all three games, and Sewanee is still looking for a win with a 0-14 record (0-7 SCAC). Erin Polena led the Tigers from the plate this weekend, earning four hits. The Sewanee Tigers will play at Centre this weekend.

Southwestern softball went 3-1 in SCAC conference action to improve to 15-13 overall and 6-2 in conference action and catapulted into first place. They squared off against Austin College for four games over the weekend. The Pirates won both on Saturday with double digit hits in both games. SU had 26 hits and scored 11 runs in the two games to win 4-2, 7-5. In the second day of action, Southwestern started slow. All the action happened in the third where SU and AC scored their only runs of the game and the ‘Roos took the win 3-2. The Pirates revved it back up at the plate in the middle of game two and scored eight runs throughout the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to win 8-2 in the final game. Southwestern takes on conference rival Trinity over the weekend for a four game series for first place.

Trinity did not play last week, but is locked in a tie for first place in the SCAC West Division with a 6-2 conference record. Trinity and Southwestern have identical 6-2 records after Southwestern won three of four games this past weekend. The two teams will meet in Georgetown, Texas this weekend for a crucial four-game SCAC series. The Tigers have won six of their last eight games heading into the weekend, which will be the final road trip of the regular season. Trinity hosts Austin College in a four-game SCAC series next weekend, which will conclude the regular season schedule. Trinity will also serve as the SCAC Tournament hosts April 24-26, which will determine the SCAC Championship.

To view the entire Fast Pitch Weekly for week 8, click here.