In a special tribute to the United States military, the Alabama State softball team will honor all past and present military personnel for Military Appreciation Day at the Barbara Williams Softball Complex on Tuesday.

Special festivities will be planned approximately 10 minutes before the Lady Hornets get set to host Samford (23-13 overall) for a 6 p.m. first pitch. 

Members of Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery are expected to be in attendance for the game. 

Colonel Andrea D. Tullos, who is Commander of the 42^nd Air Base Wing, will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

Alabama State (10-22 overall, 4-1 conference) is coming off a 4-1 week against SWAC West Division opponents.
 
ASU currently sits in first place by percentage points over Alabama A&M (12-16 overall, 5-2 SWAC) in the SWAC's East Division with a one-game lead over Jackson State (12-19 overall, 4-3 SWAC).

Jenna Mae Thorne, the reigning SWAC Hitter of the Week, stayed sizzling hot. 

Over the previous seven games, the junior is batting 12-for-21 (.571) with eight runs scored, two doubles, two triples, four RBI, two stolen bases, four walks, and a hit by pitch. 

Thorne has raised her batting average from .227 to .310 during the span. 

"She's [Thorne] at a critical spot in the lineup," said ASU softball coach Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson. "We've had trouble finding that hitter to fill that role and responsibility.  She offers a variety to the game.  She's a lefty hitter, who can hit for power or bunt. She can give you whatever the situation calls for and since she started adding power and RBI, it's been a great step in the right direction.  She's capable of a lot of things.   In the field, she's got a good arm, is quick and we're excited for her.  We hope to continue to see good things from her." 

In the circle, Melissa Christmann earned two victories over this past week. 

The junior tossed a five-hit shutout in a 5-0 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday and then hurled six innings and allowed just one run in a 7-1 victory against Grambling State on Saturday. 

She allowed just four earned runs in 16 innings to compile a 1.75 ERA over her last three appearances.   

Carly Evans returned in a big way for the Lady Hornets on Saturday by knocking in five runs on two doubles. 

Evans leads the team with 29 RBI and a .377 batting average. 

The Lady Bulldogs, a member of the Southern Conference, defeated ASU 10-4 back on Feb. 20 in the Samford Tournament in Birmingham. 

"We've had an opportunity to grow, develop and get healthy," Steiner-Wilcoxson said. "We're looking forward to playing at home and it being Military Appreciation Day.  Hopefully, there's a sign of maturity this time around to play better. They're [Samford] going to offer some speed and power.  I think we've got better defensively and our pitchers are stronger.  After already playing them once, I'm thinking we'll be able to match up better with them." 

Samford is hitting .329 as a team and is led by Megan Dowdy, who is batting .459 (61-for-133) with 27 runs scored.
 
Abby Sweeney leads the charge in the power department with nine home runs and 24 RBI to go with a .380 batting average (30-for-79).

The team has plus power with 35 home runs. 

In the circle, Mollie Hanson (14-6, 3.70 ERA) and Grey Adams (6-3, 3.87 ERA) have provided solid innings at the top of the rotation for a strong 1-2 punch. 

Live stats will be available for all the game by going to bamastatesports.com or clicking here:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/alasu/softball/.

Live video will also be available by clicking http://bamastatesports.com/watch/?Live=284
 
Tweets will be made throughout the game @ASUBUZZ. 
 
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