California State University at Northridge
Weber State
Matadors Return to Arizona for GCU Invitational
2/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Last week, CSUN turned in another impressive weekend to begin 2015, finishing 4-1 at the Wilson/DeMarini Desert Classic in Las Vegas. The Matadors defeated Portland State, New Mexico, Indiana and Utah State at the tournament to post their best start through 10 games (8-2) since the 1994 season.
Offensively, sophomores Taylor Glover, Taylor Nate and Katie Hooper all enjoyed successful weekends for CSUN. Glover and Hooper each batted .462 and combined for 11 runs, four home runs, 13 RBIS, six walks and five stolen bases. Nate had a breakout game against Indiana, finishing with three hits, two runs, a home run and three RBIs. The next day, Nate stole three bases against Utah State to tie a program single-game record.
In the circle, CSUN got solid performances from Daphne Pofek, Brianna Elder and Zoe Conley. Pofek improved to 2-0 on the season and has yet to allow a run in 8.2 innings of work this year. Elder fanned a career-high 15 batters in the Matadors' victory over Utah State, recording her first shutout of the season in the process. Conley posted the first two victories of her collegiate career with a pair of stingy relief appearances. She tossed a team-high 10.2 innings and added 13 strikeouts in Las Vegas.
This week, CSUN meets up with a pair of opponents in the Sonoran Desert. The Weber State Wildcats are 2-3 on the season after five games in Las Cruces, N.M. last week. Senior Mylee Brown batted .400 in four games with a solo home run. Fellow senior Malia Campos batted .375 in the five games with four runs scored and a triple. In the circle, freshman Bailey Seek is 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA in 9.1 innings of work. Senior McCauley Flint is 1-2 with a 4.54 ERA in 12.1 innings of work. CSUN and Weber State have met just twice in softball, splitting the games during the 2013 season.
The host Grand Canyon Antelopes enter the weekend with a 6-6 mark. Four of the Antelopes' six losses have come against ranked teams and Grand Canyon is 4-4 at home this season. Kayla Henry is batting .421 this season with five runs, a triple and three RBIs. Camree Wartman has a .387 average with eight runs and six RBIs. In the circle, Taylor Nowlin is 2-3 with a 5.31 ERA in six starts while Kaile Regester is 2-3 with a 6.54 ERA in five starts. CSUN and Grand Canyon met for the first time ever on the softball diamond last year, with the Matadors winning both games in Northridge.
Next week, CSUN opens its 2015 home season with six games. The Matadors will play a single game against St. John's University on Feb. 24 followed by a doubleheader against Utah Valley on Feb. 25. From there, CSUN hosts Sacramento State, Bakersfield and College of Charleston on Feb. 27-28 as part of a joint tournament with LMU.
