The No. 25 ranked Saint Xavier University softball team has started off the season down in Clermont, Florida, and SXU has been on a tear as of late. The Cougars (as of March 17) have won 12 games in a row and currently own a record of 14-2.
Saint Xavier has been led by the dominating performances of a pair of sisters on the mound this season in junior Megan Nonnemacher and freshman Nicole Nonnemacher. Both of the Nonnemacher sisters own a 7-1 record and Megan holds a 0.64 earned run average (ERA) and Nicole has a 0.69 ERA.
The dominating duo has a combined 137 strikeouts between them with Nicole having 78 and Megan having 59. This tandem has been a huge reason why SXU has had so much success in the early season.
Nicole not only does it on the mound, but she also leads the Cougars in hits (16) and is tied for fourth on the squad with five runs batted in (RBI). Freshman second baseman Kasey Kanaga also has 16 hits on the season and is third on the team with six RBI’s.
Senior third baseman Kate Mollohan (one of only two seniors on the team) leads Saint Xavier with eight RBI’s on 15 hits. One thing SXU has done really well this season is not allow the home run ball as only one has been given up this season. The Cougars hold a 5-1 advantage over their opponents in the long ball category.
Saint Xavier is led by sophomore first baseman Amanda Hainlen in home runs this season with two. Junior outfielder Katie Houlihan, junior catcher/first baseman Ariel Hinton as well as Mollohan all have one each on the campaign.
SXU has outscored their opponents this year by a combined score or 61-19 and have also outhit their competition 112-67. The Cougars have dominated this season both on the mound and in the batter’s box as they look to continue their winning ways and their hot streak as they make their way through the season and up the rankings.
Saint Xavier returns home for its next game against Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) rival No. 12 ranked Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) on Thursday, March 21. ONU also boasts a 12 game winning streak and is 13-1 on the season; the game is set for a 3 p.m. start.
To keep updated with the Saint Xavier softball team as well as all other SXU sports, be sure to check out www.sxucougars.com and also be sure to like their Facebook and Twitter pages.
Greg Pilafas
Deputy Editor in Chief
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