April 24, 2006

MOREHEAD, Ky. - On the heels of an eight-game home stand, the Marshall Thundering Herd begins a five-game road swing Tuesday when it faces the Morehead State Eagles for a 2 p.m. doubleheader.

Last weekend, the Herd (29-21, 13-8 C-USA) won a critical Conference USA series against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, taking two out of three. The Herd capped its eight-game home stand, finishing the stretch with a 5-3 record. Prior to losing its home finale 4-2 to Tulsa Sunday, the Herd owned a five-game home winning streak - the second-longest this season.

For the weekend, sophomore Rachel Folden (Baldwin Park, Calif./Diamond Bar) batted a team-best .571, going 4-for-7 with a double, home run and three RBI. Saturday, Folden became the first player in program history to record back-to-back 50-plus RBI seasons. Folden regained the team batting lead with a .363 clip, 17 home runs and 50 RBI.

Amanda Williams (Powder Springs, Ga./Harrison) broke the school's single-season doubles record against Tulsa Saturday. Williams' 20th two-bagger eclipsed the mark of 19, set last season by Folden.

Junior southpaw Abigail Harter (Monmouth, Ore./Santiam Christian) improved her record to 13-9, thanks to a pair of complete-game victories last week. Harter leads the Herd pitching staff with a 2.66 earned run average.

Morehead State (11-35, 1-19 Ohio Valley) has lost four straight games and 15 of its last 16. The Eagles are 4-16 at home this season and have lost their last 10 games at home. Offensively, Krystle Coleman is the only Eagles player batting over .300. Coleman leads with a .310 average, 40 hits and 12 RBI.

The Herd holds a 16-6 all-time series advantage and is victorious in the last three meetings. Marshall, which is 6-2 at Morehead State, will be making its first trip to the Eagles' home field since 1998. It will mark the first meeting between the schools since 2003.

Following Marshall's midweek affair with Morehead State, the Thundering Herd ends its regular season schedule with a three-game Conference USA series against Memphis in Southaven, Miss. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 2 p.m. (EDT), while Sunday's single game will begin at 1 p.m. (EDT).

INTANGIBLES: Amanda Williams, who leads C-USA with 22 doubles, ranked sixth in the nation in doubles per game heading into last week...The Herd finished its 19-game home schedule with a 15-4 (.789) record, which tied a school record for most home victories in a single season... Shonda Stanton is 3-3 against Morehead State as Marshall head coach...Stanton lost her first three meetings with the Eagles...Marshall Volunteer Assistant Coach Nikki Brock was a four-year letterwinner for the Morehead State Eagles from 2000-2003...Brock was the team captain during the 2002 and 2003 seasons.