April 2, 2006

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida A&M University senior pitcher Danielle Brown became the all-time strikeout leader in Lady Rattler Softball history over the weekend, as she fanned 19 opposing hitters during a four-game tour of the Carolinas Friday and Saturday.

Brown, a native of Orange Park, Florida just south of Jacksonville, recorded 13 strikeouts in Friday's doubleheader against North Carolina A&T, to move into first place on the list with 524.

Saturday, she added six more punchouts to her burgeoning total against South Carolina State, giving her 530 career whiffs.

Brown, with her performance over the weekend, vaulted past Tenyse Tasby (1991-2002), who had held the previous all-time mark, with 519 Ks.

Friday against North Carolina A&T, Brown (10-9), came on in relief in the fifth inning of the opener, tossing two innings of no-hit, scoreless ball, striking out four batters to close out the game.

In the second game, Brown started, turning in her seventh complete game of the year, allowing one run on four hits in seven innings with nine strikeouts. She also homered twice in the second game, to power FAMU to an 8-1 win and a split of Friday's doubleheader.

Saturday against S.C. State, Brown, had another stellar pitching performance in the opener, allowing just three SCSU hits with six strikeouts.

On the season, Brown is 10-9 with a 3.65 ERA, with 84 strikeouts in a team-high 107.1 innings of work. She has eight (8) complete games, plus one save on the mound.

At the plate, Brown is gunning for MEAC Player of the Year honors, with a robust .345 batting average, a team-best 33 runs scored and 40 hits. She has 16 extra base hits, including a team-high 10 home runs and 30 RBIs.

And oh, by the way, FAMU won three of four against the Carolina Gals this weekend (split with A&T, L, 2-3 and W, 8-1; swept S.C. State, 10-2 and 9-1) to improve to 24-21 overall and 11-1 in against MEAC competition this season.