April 17, 2007

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ATHENS, Ohio - In preparation for a possible postseason-determining series with Memphis this weekend, the Marshall Thundering Herd will face its final midweek test of the season when it meets the Ohio Bobcats Wednesday. The non-conference doubleheader between the former Mid-American Conference rivals will begin at 1 p.m. (EST) at Ohio Softball Field.

CSTV GameTracker will be available for both games at www.HerdZone.com.

Sunday, the Thundering Herd (23-22) was finally able to overtake the Tulsa Golden Hurricane with an 8-3 victory after suffering a tough doubleheader sweep Saturday. The victory snapped the Herd's seven-game losing streak, while giving Marshall its first Sunday win of the season.

"Sunday was a great win and I am really pleased with how our team responded after a tough Saturday," Marshall head coach Shonda Stanton said. "We are heading into our final stretch of the season and we need to use our doubleheader with Ohio as preparation for our weekend series with Memphis."

Ohio (18-20) has won four of its last six games, including a pair of MAC twin bill splits over the weekend. The Bobcats are a mere 5-3 this season at home.

Kelly Rodriguez paces the Ohio Bobcats with a .375 batting average, two home runs and 24 RBI, while Debbie Szalejko is second on the squad with a .374 clip. Shalene Petrich leads the team with 20 stolen bases in 23 chances.

Marshall leads the long-standing series by a slim 20-19 margin with the Herd winning the last four meetings and seven of the last 10. However, the Herd has not had much success in Athens, only winning five times in 15 appearances at Ohio.

"Ohio is another competitive rival from our MAC days," Stanton said. "I would like to see our team execute offensively and make in-game adjustments at the plate for confidence heading into the weekend."

Two-time Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year Rachel Folden (Baldwin Park, Calif./Diamond Bar) remains Marshall's leader in average (.415) and home runs (11). However, fellow junior Samantha Rodriguez (Oakley, Calif./Freedom) leads the Herd in doubles (12) and RBI (40).

Following Wednesday's non-conference twin bill with Ohio, the Marshall Thundering Herd returns to Dot Hicks Field to host the Memphis Tigers for a pivotal C-USA three-game series for both schools. Saturday's doubleheader is slated to begin at 1 p.m. (EST) followed by a single game Sunday, also at 1 p.m. (EST).