AMHERST, MA (5/12/04) -- Saint Joseph's will be making its fourth consecutive appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championships beginning Thursday with a matchup against city rival Temple at 2 p.m. The second-seeded Owls swept the third-seeded Hawks earlier this season by identical 2-0 scores. All games will be played at the league's first-seed, the University of Massachusetts. Click here for streaming audio, live stats, and game notes. The Minutewomen won their 14th consecutive regular season title and 17th all-time by going 11-1 in league play, 30-13 overall. Junior infielder Hilary Puglia's .329 batting average leads the team and is fifth overall in the Conference, while junior Kelli Arnold's 18 wins are tops in the league and her 1.76 ERA ranks fourth. The Minutewomen rank third in the league with a team ERA of 2.00 and are second with a .270 team batting average. Massachusetts will face fourth-seeded Fordham at noon on Thursday, May 13. The Rams, who are making just their second appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship, finished the regular season with an 8-6 record in league play and a 35-22-1 overall mark. The Rams lead the league in batting average (.276) and ERA (1.49). Freshman pitcher Sara Kinney, a four-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week selection, is the top hurler for the Rams and boasts a second-best league ERA of 1.40. Three of the top five ERAs in the league are held by the Rams. Sophomore Katie Davis ranks second in the league in batting average (.365) and is the overall leader in hits with 62. The second game of Thursday's doubleheader features second-seeded Temple against third-seeded Saint Joseph's. Temple enters the weekend with a 9-3 Atlantic 10 mark and a 25-15 overall record. The Owls, who shared the 1990 tournament title with UMass, are making their fifth consecutive Championship appearance and 18th overall. As a team, the Owls are second in the league with a 1.76 ERA, thanks in part to a 10-1 record by senior pitcher Kim Watkins. Watkins leads the Conference in pitching with an impressive 0.73 ERA. At the plate, the Owls boast two of the top four batting averages. Senior outfielder Lynsey Grace is hitting .367 on the season, tops on the team. Saint Joseph's, which ended the regular season 8-4 in league play and 18-26 overall, is making its fourth Championship appearance and ninth overall. Senior outfielder Lindsey McNamara (.286) leads a Hawks squad that ranks third in the Conference with a .248 team batting average. Senior Dana Travis is her team's winningest pitcher with a 14-10 record. After Thursday's opening round, play resumes on Friday, May 14 with the first of three games, starting at 12:00pm. The final round of the Atlantic 10 Championship will take place on Saturday, May 15, beginning at 12:00pm. Tickets for the championship are now on sale and can be purchased in advance by calling 1-866-UMass-TIX or in person at the Mullins Center Box Office. They may also be purchased at the door. Adult tickets cost $5 per day or $10 for all three sessions. Atlantic 10 students with ID, children 18 and under and senior citizens cost $3 per day and $7 for a three-day pass. There will also be a group rate of $1 per day for groups of eight or more, but must be purchased in advance. 2004 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship - May 13-15 - University of Massachusetts
Thursday, May 13
Game 1 - #1 Massachusetts vs #4 Fordham, 12:00pm
Game 2 - #2 Temple vs #3 Saint Joseph's, 2:00pm
Friday, May 14
Game 3 - Winner Game 1 vs Winner of Game 2, 12:00pm
Game 4 - Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2, 2:00pm
Game 5 - Loser Game 3 vs Winner Game 4, 4:00pm
Saturday, May 15
Game 6 - Winner of Game 3 vs Winner of Game 5, 12:00pm
Game 7 - if necessary 30 minutes following Game 6