May 7, 2008
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. -
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All that stands between the Cal State Northridge softball team (21-23, 10-8) and a .500 season is UC Davis, as the Matadors and Aggies open a three-game Big West Conference softball series Friday with a doubleheader followed by a single game on Saturday. CSUN head coach Barbara Jordan and the team understands the importance of the series as they continue their quest for an NCAA regional berth.
The series against the Aggies will be the finale in the Northridge careers for three seniors: Mercedes Lovato, Samantha Schroeder and Jackie Duree. The softball program will honor the three, and three UC Davis seniors, in a pregame ceremony on Saturday. Both days of action will start at 1 p.m.
In action last week, the Matadors swept UC Riverside in a three-game series in Riverside. All three games were tightly contested, with the Matadors prevailing 1-0, 4-3 and 2-1. Northridge exorcised several demons in the series, winning their first game of the season when trailing after the sixth inning in its 4-3 victory. The team also scored more seventh-inning runs (5) in the Saturday doubleheader then they had all season (4). Finally, the team won for the first time on a Sunday during conference season with its 2-1 victory.
Several Matadors will look to close out impressive seasons with good performances against the Aggies. Junior Amanda Peek leads the team with a .395 batting average, just two points shy of 10th all-time in school history for a single season. She also leads the team in hits (45), runs (24) RBIs (25) and home runs (6). In addition to her offensive work, she has been a solid defensive option behind the plate, holding a .990 fielding percentage for the season and a perfect 1.000 mark in conference play.
Also contributing at the plate all season has been sophomore Alexandria Alvarado. She enters the weekend with a .305 batting average, second on the team and 48 points higher than her average during her rookie season. She leads the team in both doubles (10) and stolen bases (8) and the marks both rank ninth in the Big West Conference.
Micah Putnam will also look to close out her stellar 2008 campaign. The junior is hitting .283 with four home runs, seven doubles and 21 runs scored, all representing new career highs. She has also excelled on defense, committing just four errors in 193 chances to sport a .979 fielding percentage.
In the circle, Lovato now stands at 17-13 with a 2.99 ERA and 126 strikeouts. The 17 wins are the second-most in the Big West Conference and the most by a Matador pitcher since assistant coach Kia Fennell won also won `18 in 2004. She has also tossed two no-hitters this season, blanking San Jose State and North Dakota, becoming the first CSUN pitcher to have two no-hitters in a season since Tara Glaister in 1999.
Sophomore Amanda Pitzenberger now leads the Big West Conference in saves after picking up her third of the season Sunday against UC Riverside. Pitzenberger tossed two innings of one-hit softball to nail down Northridge's 2- 1 victory over the Highlanders. All three saves have come during Big West play and she now has four for her career. Overall, Pitzenberger is 3-6 with a 2.99 ERA and 27 strikeouts on the season. Her 12 walks are also the fewest by all qualifying Big West pitchers this season.
The Aggies of UC Davis are all that stand in the way for the Matadors as the season draws to a close. Entering the weekend, UC Davis is 23-34 overall and 8-10 in the Big West Conference, its first year as a member of the conference. Karen Yoder is in her fourth season as the head coach of the Aggies, having amassed a 76-147-1 in her 3+ seasons.
As a team, UC Davis is at the cellar of the Big West Conference, hitting .237 overall. Julie Stauder is the team's top hitter, batting .291 for the season with 18 RBIs and 33 runs scored. Trish Paine is the team's next best hitter, checking at .282 overall with five triples. Deanna Menapace is the Aggies' top slugger, mashing six home runs with 10 doubles and 33 RBIs. UC Davis also boasts three of the league's better base stealers, as Michelle Espiritu leads the conference with 17 stolen bases, while Paine and Stauder have 13 and 10 stolen bases, respectively.
In the circle, Jessica Hancock leads the team with a 2.42 ERA to go along with a 16-20 record. She has tossed a league-high 231.1 innings 215 strike outs this season. Opponents are hitting just .241 off her for the season. In Big West Conference play, she is 6-6 with a 2.46 ERA and 54 strike outs in 79.2 innings of work. Freshman Alex Holmes is the team's other pitcher, entering the weekend with a 7-14 record and a 4.34 ERA with 86 strikeouts.
On defense, the Aggies sport a .956 fielding percentage overall, committing 78 errors on the season. Sarah Axelson leads the team in miscues with 17 on the season, while Stauder and Lindsey Jones each have 13. Espiritu and Sarah O'Neill each have perfect 1.000 fielding percentages on the season.
Depending on how the weekend goes, Northridge could be looking at a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season. In order to qualify for consideration, a team must be at .500 or better for their overall record, meaning CSUN must win all three games against the Aggies to receive consideration.
