CONWAY, Ark. – The UCA softball team will look to snap a two-game losing streak and to remain perfect in Southland Conference play this weekend when they host Sam Houston State in a two-game series beginning Friday night at Farris Field.
 
The Bears are coming off a pair of 1-0 losses to Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State. The losses came on the heels of a sweep of Southeastern Louisiana last weekend. UCA downed Southeastern Louisiana 2-0 and 5-3 to get off to a 2-0 start in league play.
 
Sam Houston State will enter the weekend series riding a seven-game winning streak. Since starting 1-13, the Bearkats have not dropped a game since March 4, a 14-0 loss to the Texas Longhorns. In their Southland Conference opener last weekend the Bearkats knocked off Nicholls 6-4 and 6-3.
 
As a team, Sam Houston is hitting .265 this season. Kim Damian and Sarah Allison are tied for the team lead in home runs and RBI with five and 14 respectively. Damian is hitting a clip of .348 while Allison comes in sporting a .264 batting average. Tori Benavidez is Sam Houston’s leading hitter at .364 and also leads her squad in stolen bases with five.
 
Bearkat pitchers have allowed opponents a batting average of .327 so far in 2012 and have an overall team ERA of 4.56. Tomi Garrison has started nine games this year for the Bearkats and is 4-6 with a 4.13 ERA and 38 K’s. Shelby Lancaster has the squad’s best ERA of 3.50 and is 3-4 in seven starts this year.
 
Despite being shutout in two consecutive contests, UCA enters the weekend with a .338 overall batting average, best in the Southland Conference. The Bears have amassed 100 more hits than any other Southland team so far this season and lead the league or are second in the league in virtually every hitting category this year.
 
In the last six games for the Bears, UCA has been led at the plate by senior outfielder Nicole Beals and freshman third baseman Tiffany Roby. Over that span, Beals is hitting .421 with a pair of RBI while Roby is batting .375 with a homer and a couple of runs scored.
 
The two teams have met 17 previous times in history, with the Bears holding a 10-7 advantage. Last season, UCA took two of three from the Bearkats in a series played at Farris Field.
 
Game times this weekend at Farris Field are set for 6 p.m. on Friday night before the series finale takes place on Saturday at noon. Following Saturday’s game, there will be a one-hour “Softball Cub Club” camp for girls, ages 5-12. Those interested in signing up for the camp following Saturday’s game or the camp following the game on March 31 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi should visit www.davidkuhnsoftballcamps.com.