#CUWStatsInfo: A closer look at Softball's recent 12-game winning streak

MEQUON, Wis. – Coming back from its Florida spring trip, the Concordia University Wisconsin Softball team was 7-7 and ready to begin conference play. The youthful Falcons couldn't ask for a better start in their return to Wisconsin, as they posted a 12-game winning streak, 10 of those coming in NACC games. The winning streak was the longest in program history for CUW.

A combination of strong pitching and timely hitting was the key for CUW during the impressive stretch. CUWFalcons.com takes a look inside some of the stats that helped the Falcons post victory after victory over the last couple of weeks.

Jumping out to a lead: The Falcons did an excellent job of jumping on their opponents early during the streak. CUW scored first in eight of the 12 games and outscored its opposition 21-4 in the first inning. The Falcons outscored their opponents in all seven innings during the stretch, with the +17 margin of the first inning being the largest. All-in-all the Falcons outscored their opponents 88-20.

Dominant pitching: If you have strong pitching, you are going to be successful in Softball and the recent stretch for the Falcons was no different. Junior Melissa Perkins and freshmen Emily Brekke and Christine Sharon posted a 0.89 ERA during the stretch and combined for 10 complete games. Perkins (Park Forest, Ill.) had a 1.11 ERA and delivered a complete game in each of her six starts. She also struck out 34 batters during the streak, including setting a new career high on two separate occasions. Brekke (Waterford, Wis.) posted a 0.57 ERA and threw three complete games, while punching out 23. Sharon (Cornell, Mich.) added a pair of wins and a 0.70 ERA.

Clutch hitting: As a team, the Falcons batted .343 during the streak, which include 88 runs scored and 74 RBI. However, what was even more impressive was the fact they hit .377 (49-for-130) with runners in scoring position. Sharon was the best in those situations, batting .643 (9-for-14), while freshman Sadie Strasser (Gladstone, Mich.) was 7-for-15 (.467) with runners in scoring position. The Falcons were also locked in with runners on third and less than two outs, batting .606 (20-for-33) in those spots.

Defense: The Falcons also played good defense over the 12 games, recording a .953 fielding percentage. CUW committed just 17 errors over the 12 games, which is pretty impressive considering they run out an all-freshmen infield each and every contest.

Extra-Base hits: CUW has plenty of hitters in the lineup who can gain a big hit. That was evident by the Falcons 35 extra-base hits during the winning streak. The Falcons roped 24 doubles, led by freshman Jamie Reiser (Ingleside, Ill.) and sophomore Carly Sobrilsky (Brookfield, Wis.), who each had four. Sobrilsky led the team with three home runs, while Reiser and freshman Haley Spoerl (Salem, Wis.) each had two. CUW also had two triples, one each from freshmen Andrea Thiry (Green Bay, Wis.) and Allison Peters (Elk Grove, Ill.).

Total team effort: In any winning streak you need strong performances from multiple players and CUW received strong efforts from players 1-20. Fifteen different players scored runs and 16 players recorded a hit. Head Coach Steve Crook has a young, but talented team evidenced by the recent success. Expect the Falcons to tally up several more wins before the season ends.