April 16, 2008

Weekly Release in PDF Format

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - The Cal State Northridge softball team (16-19, 5-4 BWC) heads to San Luis Obispo this weekend to face the Cal Poly Mustangs. The squads share a storied past that has seen nearly 100 meetings, with CSUN owning a 63-33-1 record in the series. However, the Matadors will look to reverse recent fortunes this weekend, as Cal Poly has won eight of the past nine meetings between the schools.

CSUN enters the weekend having taken two of three from league-leading UC Santa Barbara last weekend at Matador Diamond. Sophomore Amanda Pitzenberger recorded a win and a save in the Northridge victories while fellow sophomore Alexandria Alvarado was named Big West Player of the Week after batting .375 and setting new career highs in RBIs and doubles against the Gauchos.

For the season, Alvarado is hitting .307, which checks in at third on the team. She has both eight doubles and stolen bases on the year, both of which lead the club and check in at seventh in the Big West Conference. In league play, she leads the conference with four stolen bases and four doubles.

Junior Micah Putnam also enjoyed a successful weekend at the dish against the Gauchos, boosting her season totals in several categories. Putnam recorded three hits in the first game against UCSB, the third time this season that she has tallied three hits in a game this year. Two of those hits were doubles, raising her season total to a career-high six for the season. Overall, Putnam is hitting .322 with four home runs, also a career-high and 15 RBIs, one off a new career mark. She also has posted a .522 slugging percentage and .404 on-base percentage, which both rank ninth in the Big West Conference.

In the circle, senior Samantha Schroeder lowered her season ERA to 3.38 after tossing six innings of two-hit ball in game three of the UCSB series. Since league play has started, Schroeder owns a 0.55 ERA in three appearances, the second-lowest figure in the Big West Conference.

Fellow veteran Mercedes Lovato continues to lead the Matadors with a 13-12 record and 111 strikeouts. A 2007 All-Big West Honorable Mention, Lovato is third in the Big West Conference in wins and first in appearances with 32. She has thrown 16 complete games this season and has tossed two no-hitters this season.

The defending league champions, Cal Poly enters the weekend at 16-18 overall and 4-5 in the Big West Conference. The Mustangs dropped two of three games against Long Beach State in their last Big West series. Although Northridge owns a sizable advantage in the all-time series (63-33-1), Cal Poly has had success recently, taking eight of the last nine games played between the two schools. Jenny Condon is in her fourth year as the head coach at Cal Poly, having amassed a 117-74 record in her three-plus seasons.

Just like the Matadors, Cal Poly enters the weekend hitting .253 as a team. However, the Mustangs own an advantage in slugging percentage (.368 to .345) and on-base percentage (.343 to .337). Melissa Pura leads the team with a .304 average on the season, though her average stands at .286 in league play. She has a team-high five home runs and 17 RBIs on the season. Sarah Iwata leads the team with four home runs while Stephanie Correia and Jenna Maiden have each hit three homers this season. Six different Mustangs also have collected at least one triple this season. Finally, the Mustangs are last in the conference with only 10 stolen bases as a team, lead by Pura's five.

In the circle, Cal Poly has a balanced attack as three pitchers have made at least nine starts this season. Robyn Kontra checks in at 5-1 with a 1.86 ERA, the second-best figure in the Big West Conference, in 13 appearances. She has struck out 35 batters while walking only nine in 52.2 innings of work. Anna Cahn is 5-10, but owns a 2.48 ERA in 19 appearances, including 13 starts, this season. She has tossed 10 complete games the year while striking out 69 and walking only 23. The Mustangs have walked the fewest batters in the league this season, totaling only 52 free passes as a staff, 21 fewer than their closest competitor.

On defense, Cal Poly owns a .957 fielding percentage, having committed 46 errors in the field this season. Pura leads the team with nine miscues while Stephanie Tam has committed eight fielding mistakes.

All three games between the Matadors and Mustangs will be played at Bill Janssen Field. Saturday's doubleheader will start at noon and Sunday's single game will also start at noon. Following the series, Northridge returns home to face Cal State Fullerton in a three-game series at Matador Diamond on April 26-27.