California State University at Northridge
Bryant
Matadors Host Five-Team Tournament This Weekend
3/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Last week, CSUN went 1-3 in the 2015 Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash. The Matadors suffered three close losses during the event, falling twice to nationally ranked Washington and in extra innings to Ohio State. However, CSUN did post an 8-0 victory over Seattle University at the event, the Matadors' fifth run-rule victory of the 2015 season. Sophomore Aliyah Ricks batted .833 in three games at the event, picking up a career-high four hits in the second game against Washington. Ariana Wassmer (.600) and Taylor Glover (.538) also had productive weekends.
This week, the Matadors take on a slate of teams visiting Southern California. Bryant University has been out West for a few weeks now, leaving New England for games both in Arizona and California. After dropping a pair of games at UC Riverside, Bryant fell to 5-12 on the season and plays UNC-Greensboro and San Diego in San Diego, Calif. on Wednesday, Mar. 11. Madeline Velasquez is batting .314 with nine runs, three doubles and seven RBIs while Hayley Bottino has four home runs and 11 RBIs to go with a .265 batting average. Elle Madsen has pitched a team-high 57 innings and is 3-7 with a 4.42 ERA and 32 strikeouts. CSUN and Bryant have never met in softball.
Buffalo enters the week with a 4-11 overall record after defeating Evansville 14-13 in extra innings. As a team, the Bulls are batting .310 with 75 runs in 15 games this season. Alexis Curtiss leads the squad with a .481 batting average and 13 runs, 25 hits and nine doubles. Savanna Norcio (.450) and Ashton Earnhardt (.419) are also batting over .400 for the year and have combined for seven doubles and 13 RBIs. In the circle, Bobbi Langlois has tossed a team-high 40.1 innings and is 1-5 with a 7.12 ERA and 18 strikeouts. Opponents have batted .338 off Buffalo pitchers in 96.2 innings this season. Buffalo and CSUN have never met in softball.
CSUN's final opponent over the weekend is Colorado State on Sunday. The Rams are 14-12 overall and are on a seven-game winning streak. Haley Hutton is batting a team-high .375 with 30 hits, 21 runs, five stolen bases and 15 RBIs. Haley David checks in at .341 with 31 hits, nine RBIs and nine stolen bases while Savannah Clark sports a .333 average with five doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs. As a team, Colorado State is batting .288 with 18 home runs and 126 RBIs. In the circle, Holly Reinke has pitched a team-high 75.2 innings and is 7-8 with a 4.90 ERA and 53 strikeouts. Opponents have batted .298 off CSU pitching in 171.1 innings of work this season. CSUN leads the all-time series with Colorado State 14-1 and has won five straight, including a 4-2 victory in February of 2014.
The Iona Gaels are the fifth team competing in the tournament this weekend, although CSUN will not face them. Next week, the Matadors hit the road for their final preseason event by traveling to the Louisville Slugger Invitational in Stockton, Calif. from Mar. 20-22 and will face the host Pacific Tigers, the Connecticut Huskies and the Grand Canyon Antelopes.
Follow Your Matadors Online
All home games this season will include live stats coverage on GoMatadors.com. For road games, related links to the game, including for any live stats, audio and video, will be posted before the game on the softball schedule page of GoMatadors.com. Fans are also encouraged to check the CSUN Athletics Department's official Twitter feed (@GoMatadors) for updates of games in progress and news and notes throughout the week.
Take Your Seat in the Front Row
Fans can now follow all of the action for CSUN's 19 varsity sports right from their phone or tablet! CSUN Front Row, the official mobile app of Matador Athletics, is available for free for iOS and Android devices. Fans can also access live stats coverage of a majority of CSUN home events, as well as audio and video links when available. For more information, search for CSUN Front Row on the App Store or Google Play or visit GoMatadors.com/frontrow.
