April 23, 2008
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. -
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With nine games remaining on its schedule, the Cal State Northridge softball team (17-21, 6-6) hosts Cal State Fullerton this weekend in a pivotal three-game Big West Conference series. Both the Matadors and Titans enter the weekend with identical 6-6 league records, making all three games vital for Northridge as its strides toward an NCAA berth.
Last weekend, the Matadors took one of three games from the defending Big West champions, Cal Poly. The series against the Titans looks to be equally as challenging, as Fullerton swept a three-game set at Pacific to even up its conference record.
For her performance against the Mustangs, junior Amanda Peek received Big West Player of the Week honors. The two-time All-Big West First Team selection reached base in all 11 plate appearances, recording two hits and walking nine times. For the season, Peek is hitting .427, second in the conference, with 32 walks, giving her a league-leading .570 on-base percentage, tops among Big West competitors and sixth in Division I.
Joining Peek at the top of the Matadors' hitting stats is fellow junior Micah Putnam. Since arriving at Northridge in 2005, Putnam has steadily increased her productivity for head coach Barbara Jordan and the Matador offense. Entering the weekend, Putnam is hitting .307 and has set career highs in hits (31), total bases (50), home runs (4) doubles (7) and runs scored (19).
Sophomore Alexandria Alvarado, who received Big West Player of the Week honors on April 14, is third on the team with a .283 average and leads the club with eight doubles and eight stolen bases. After hitting .364 against Cal Poly pitching, senior Jackie Duree checks in at .280 entering the series against Fullerton. She stands two hits, two runs and one double short of establishing new career bests in the respective categories.
In the circle, senior Mercedes Lovato continues to lead the Matador staff. She currently stands at 14-12 on the season with a 3.14 ERA and 114 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .251 off her this season, the eighth-best figure in the Big West conference. Fellow senior Samantha Schroeder has performed well since the start of Big West play. In five appearances, she owns a 1.62 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP.
In what looks to be a make-or-break series for both teams, the Cal State Fullerton Titans venture to Matador Diamond for a three-game set with Matadors this weekend. Currently 22-22-1 on the season, the Titans enter the match-up fresh off a three-game road sweep at Pacific. They are 6-6 in Big West play, an identical mark to the one Northridge currently owns. Michelle Gromacki is her ninth season as the Titans' head coach, having amassed a 359-181-1 record in 8+ seasons.
Kiki Munoz leads the Fullerton attack, batting .422 on the season, which ranks third in the Big West Conference. She also has a team-high 54 hits and 14 doubles and lead the team with a .483 on-base percentage. Katie Gollhardt is the other Titan hitting over .300, checking in at .302 with five home runs and 21 RBIs. As a team, Fullerton is hitting .266 with a .334 on-base percentage. The Titans also own 68 doubles as a team and have stolen 21 bases in 29 attempts.
In the circle, Fullerton has two pitchers who have each posted 11 wins on the season: Christine Hiner (11-11) and Jessica Doucette (11-10). Hiner is the reining Big West Pitcher of the Week, having picked up a pair of wins against Pacific last weekend. She has a 2.30 ERA and has struck out 106 batters in 146.1 innings of work. Doucette sports a 2.43 ERA with 108 strikeouts in 144.0 innings of work. Opponents are hitting just .236 against Fullerton pitching for the season and the team's 1.23 WHIP is tied for second in the Big West Conference.
On defense, Fullerton owns a .965 fielding percentage, having committed 50 errors on the season. Courtney Martinez leads the team in miscues, having made 14 errors in 147 chances on the season. Doucette has a perfect 1.000 percentage in the field, having recorded 148 put-outs and 42 assists on the year.
After the Fullerton series, Northridge travels to UC Riverside for its final roadtrip of the season. The Highlanders and Matadors will play three games at Amy S. Harrison Field on May 3 and 4. The teams will play a doubleheader starting at noon on May 3 and a single game also starting at noon on May 4.
