SOFTBALL HOSTS NO. 17 FLORENCE-DARLINGTON IN KEY GAMES ON FRIDAY

PETERSBURG, Va., (April 28, 2016) – The Richard Bland College softball play plays its final regular season doubleheader of the season on Friday, and the matchup might be a preview of the Region X Conference Tournament championship game.

The Statesmen will host Region X Conference-leading No. 17 nationally-ranked Florence-Darlington Technical College on Friday at 4 pm and 6 pm. Richard Bland (18-16, 10-4) are coming off a doubleheader sweep of Patrick Henry Community College last Saturday. Florence-Darlington (24-9, 11-1), saw its undefeated conference record broken last Saturday, when the xx split a doubleheader against Surry Community College, dropping the nightcap, 5-4.

As of Friday's games, Florence-Darlington would be the number No. 1 seed in the Region X Conference Tournament and Richard Bland the No. 2 seed, putting each team on a collision course to the championship final games. However, a Statesmen sweep on Friday coupled with a FDTC loss to Patrick Henry in doubleheader play on Saturday would create a two-way tie for first.

GAME DETAILS

Opponent: Florence-Darlington (24-9, 11-1) vs. Richard Bland (18-16, 10-4)

Date: Friday, April 29, at 4:00 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Richard Bland Softball Home Page 

Site: Petersburg, VA

LAST OUTING VS. FLORENCE-DARLINGTON: Played in Florence, S.C., on February 20, the Stingers swept a doubleheader from Richard Bland, winning the first game 3-2 and the nightcap, 11-3.

STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Freshman Shannon Buffington, who has been the workhorse of the Richard Bland College softball pitching staff all season, added to her phenomenal first season last Saturday afternoon against Patrick Henry, notching both victories in a key Region X Conference doubleheader … Buffington was masterful for the Statesmen, pitching the complete nine innings in a tightly played first game that ended in a 1-0 victory for RBC. In the nightcap, she shut down the Patriots, 10-0, with decidedly more run support in a five-inning effort. In her 14 total innings in the circle, Buffington allowed no runs, nine hits, struck out seven and walked one. On the season, she owns 15 of Richard Bland's 18 wins … On the season, she has pitched 128.2 innings and has a 2.61 earned run average. She has struck out 44 batters.

RECEIVING NATIONAL VOTES: Richard Bland's recent surge as winners of 8 of its last 10 games has the Statesmen receiving consideration along with four other teams in the NJCAA Division II National Top 20 poll … Friday's opponent, Florence-Darlington, is ranked No. 17 in NJCAA Division II …

ABOUT FLORENCE-DARLINGTON: The Stingers boast one of the best pitching staffs in NJCAA Division II in terms of earn run average, limiting opponents to 1.29 per game, 12^th best in the nation … The Stingers are 8-1 on the road … Prior to the blip against Surry, FDTC had won 10 straight games, four of them by shutout … Eight players currently hit over .300 and two of them top .400, led by freshman outfielder Anna Warley (.473) and sophomore infielder Heather Kirby (.416).

HIT PARADE: On the season, RBC has five home runs, nine triples, 37 doubles, 284 hits and 354 total bases.

BY THE NUMBERS: Of the regular lineup, eight players currently hit over .300, led by sophomore Whitney Clements who tops the list after a recent offensive surge at .415 … She is followed by fellow sophomore Hannah Barnes at .377, Abby Eichelberger follows at .367 … In a two week span, Clements rose her batting average from .364 to .415 … Off the bench sophomore Mikie Williams has belted two home runs, tying her for the team lead with sophomore Amanda Archer.

CATEGORY LEADERS: Barnes leads in hits with 46, triples (four), doubles (10) … On a hot streak, Clements is now the team leader in RBI with 26 … She leads in OBP (.488), while Barnes leads in slugging percentage (.525) … Eight players have cracked double figures in RBI.

ON THE HILL: Freshman Shannon Buffington has shouldered the pitching duties for most of the season, appearing in 27 of 34 games and starting in 19 of them … She owns 15 of RBC's 17 wins this season while logging 128.2 innings on the mound … She has struck out 44 batters and sports a 2.71 ERA … Thirteen of her 19 starts have been complete-game efforts.

BATS WARMING UP: This season, RBC has scored 18 runs against Wake Tech twice, representing the most runs in a single game since tallying 16 against Wake Tech last March 25 … In the last two games against Wake Tech, RBC tallied 35 runs, the most in back-to-back games in program history … The previous record was 30 runs in a doubleheader sweep over Rappahannock Community College on March 16, 2014.

WHAT'S NEXT: Following Saturday's games, the Statesmen head to Burlington, N.C., for the Region X Tournament that begins on Friday, May 5.