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MIAA StandingsST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Softball puts its 12-game win streak and a perfect record at home on the line this weekend as the team looks to make up ground in the MIAA standings in a pair of conference doubleheaders this weekend. Missouri Western plays host to Lindenwood on Friday and Lincoln on Saturday.
THE GRIFFONSThe Griffons have been rolling of late, coming into the weekend with a 12-game winning streak after winning all six of the team's games last weekend at the Apple Market Classic. MWSU entered the NFCA top-25 poll for the first time this season, coming in at No. 17.
Tiffany Gillaspy was named the NFCA National Player of the Week along with being the MIAA Hitter of the Week.
Janie Smith was named the MIAA Pitcher of the Week after the team went 10-0 in six days last week.
Gillaspy used the week to climb from a .355 average to a team-high, .417. She leads the club with 40 hits and nine home runs. Her seven doubles are tied for the team lead and her 27 RBIs are second to Paige Shifflett's 29. Morgan Rathmann has quietly batted .388 so far this season. The sophomore leads the team with four triples and 30 runs scored. Shifflett brings a .366 average into the weekend with a team-high 29 RBIs and is tied for second with six home runs.
While Gillaspy brought home the big honor of the week, much of the Grifffons' recent success can be attributed to its two starting pitchers, Janie Smith and Shyanne Saladino. Smith went 5-0 on the week, picking up a shutout win over #14 Winona State and a one-run win over #24 Augustana. She is 10-5 on the year with a 3.51 ERA and leads the team with 102.2 innings pitched and 71 strikeouts. Saladino also went 5-0 last week, moving her record to 11-4 with a 3.61 ERA. The junior has pitched 77.1 innings, holding opponents to a .244 batting average.
The 12-game winning streak will grab the headlines but it's not the only streak the team is looking to continue. The Griffons are 10-0 in home games this season and have outscored opponents 55-8 at the Spring Sports Complex. Four visiting teams have failed to score a run on the Griffons and no team has scored more than two on the Griffons at home. While the team took a break from traditional doubleheaders last weekend, it has won three straight twin bills, including the last four games against MIAA competition.
Despite the win streak, MWSU sits fifth in the MIAA - a league that now features three ranked teams (#11 Emporia State, #17 Missouri Western and #19 Central Oklahoma. The race for the conference crown could be a tightly contested one. Washburn and Central Missouri had impressive showings last weekned at the Apple Market Classic,along with Emporia State and MWSU. Pittsburg State split its six games last weekend, but picked up a 4-0 non-conference win over Pittsburg State. The Griffons are scheduled to end the season facing four of the current top-seven teams in the conference. Between April 7 and 25, the team will see Central Missouri, Pittsburg State, Washburn and
Emporia State.
LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY LIONSLindenwood has dropped four straight and 14 of its last 16 games coming into the weekend.
Alexandra Newcomb leads the team with a .361 batting average and 30 hits. She has also driven in 11 runs this season, second on the team. Alexis Theis leads the Lions with three home runs and 17 RBIs. As a team, Lindenwood is batting .260, while allowing opponents a .313 clip. Morgan Colvis' three wins (3-9) lead the pitching staff. She has a 5.57 ERA nad 38 strikeouts in 53.1 innings pitched. Kendall Ryndak's 5.22 ERA is the lowest on the team. She is 2-9 in nine starts with 86 strikeouts in 70.2 innings pitched.
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY BLUE TIGERSLincoln enters the weekend with a 3.23 record and a 2-10 mark in the MIAA. The Blue Tigers are 0-11 so far this season on the road but will play a doubleheader at Northwest Missouri State before coming to St. Joseph on Saturday.
Sam Kircher leads the team with her .379 batting average, 14 runs scored, 25 hits, five doulbes, three home runs and 14 RBIs. Jessica Wolken's .302 average is second on a team that carries a .241 average and allows opponents a .426 clip. The Blue Tiger team ERA sits at 10.45. Macie Kinsey is 2-6 with a 9.50 ERA and Lauren Stamp carries a 9.95 ERA and a 1-4 record.
