MONTGOMERY, AL – The Alabama State softball team will look to bounce back after a string of close losses to begin the season. 
 
The Lady Hornets (1-6) have been highly competitive in every game thus far, but have allowed opponents to turn in a big-scoring inning where mistakes have snowballed into more missed opportunities.
 
On six occasions, Alabama State has had an inning in which the opposition has scored at least four runs in a frame.
 
Conversely, the Lady Hornets have blanked the opposition in 30 innings of work. 
 
Despite some difficult losses to stomach, ASU has risen to the challenge to take on teams from competitive conferences such as Evansville of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), Eastern Michigan of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), Marshall and Southern Miss of Conference USA and Troy of the Sun Belt Conference. 
 
Hosting the Black & Gold Tournament this weekend, Alabama State will face another slate of challenging games against Nicholls of the Southland Conference, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County of the America East Conference and Middle Tennessee of Conference USA. 
 
Here's the schedule for Alabama State this weekend:
Friday 2/19 vs. Nicholls 2:30 p.m. (approximate start time)
Friday 2/19 vs. Maryland Baltimore-County 7:30 p.m. (approximate start time)
Saturday 2/20 vs. Nicholls 1:30 p.m. (approximate start time)
Saturday 2/20 vs. Middle Tennessee 6:30 p.m. (approximate start time)
Sunday 2/21 vs.  Maryland Baltimore-County 10 a.m. 
 
Live stats can be followed here: http://www.sidearmstats.com/alasu/softball/
 
Live in-game updates and pictures can be found here: @ASUBUZZ. 
 
Nicholls (6-1) rides into Montgomery with a hot start to the season. 
 
The Colonels have already defeated three SWAC schools with an 11-0 win against Mississippi Valley State and two victories at home against Jackson State (7-4 and 6-4). 
 
Collectively, Nicholls is hitting .358 as a team. 
 
UMBC (0-4) will be playing for the first time in six days after traveling back from Phoenix, AZ, to take part in the Grand Canyon University Kickoff Tournament. 
 
The Retrievers will look to bounce back after hitting .193 as a team against Loyola Marymount and Grand Canyon. 
 
Middle Tennessee (2-3) returns to action five days removed from playing in Fort Myers, Fla., for the Florida Gulf Coast Kickoff Classic where the Blue Raiders lost two of those games by a single run against Michigan State and Kent State. 
 
The Blue Raiders are hitting .286 as a team, however, their pitching staff has walked more batters (14) than they have struck out (10). 
 
#GOHORNETS#