March 10, 2009

Story courtesy of Auburn Montgomery Sports Information Office

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Head Coach Christina Wilcoxson was brought to Auburn University at Montgomery to begin the softball program a year ago, and she knew the first thing she had to do was find some pitchers and build the team around them.

She was able to find three pitchers and one of those pitchers is Brandi Richards, Covington, Ga.  The freshman has not taken long to find her niche in the record books as she pitched a perfect game in a 1-0 win over William Penn University this past weekend at the NFCA Lead Off Classic in Panama City, Florida.

Richards faced the minimum of 21 hitters in the game and struck out 16 of those hitters on her way to perfection.  She struck out two of the first three batters she faced and went on to strike out at least two hitters in each inning except the seventh.  She struck out the side in the third, fifth and sixth innings.

Of the five hitters that managed not to strike out, only one was able to get their batted ball out of the infield, a fly ball to left field.

“I had no idea about the perfect game,” Richards said.  “I don’t think about those things when I am pitching I just wanted to play well.  I did not know about the game being a perfect game until Coach Curie told me after the game was over.”

In baseball whenever a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter or perfect game, the players stay away from him and do not talk to him.  That was not the case with the Lady Senators during the game.

“I don’t think anyone on the team was thinking about it, or maybe they did not know about it,” Richards said.  “It doesn’t matter what is happening in the game with girls, we talk all the time.”

The season has seen Richards start out with a 4-1 record and a team-best 0.54 earned run average.  She has three shut outs and has pitched 39 innings and has only given up 12 hits and three earned runs.  She has 73 strikeouts and the opposition is only batting .096 off her.

She currently leads the Southern States Athletic Conference in earned run average and strikeouts.  She is also third in the nation in strikeouts.

Her lone loss was a 2-1 decision to nationally-ranked William Carey.  She had 13 strikeouts in the game and only allowed one hit and both runs were unearned.

During the NFCA Tournament, Richards went 2-1, pitching 21 innings giving up three hits, no earned runs and had 39 strikeouts.  For her effort, she was named to the NFCA All-Tournament team.

“We are very proud of what Brandi has accomplished,” Wilcoxson said.  “It is a very rare accomplishment.  She has worked hard over the years to become this great pitcher we are seeing today.  I have played and coached ball for over 20 years and this is the first perfect game I have ever seen.  I am appreciative of the hard work and dedication she has given us here at AUM.”

Richards is a two-way player as she also plays in the field when not pitching.  She has been effective at the plate as well early in the season.  She is hitting .368 with a home run, double and six RBI and is second on the team with 14 base hits.