California State University at Northridge
UC Riverside
Matadors Host Big West Series with UC Riverside
4/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Last week, CSUN kept its momentum rolling with a three-game sweep of the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. The series win was the Matadors' first against the Gauchos since the 2010 season (also a sweep) and their first series sweep in Santa Barbara since the 2001 campaign.Â
Sophomore catcher Katie Hooper earned CSUN's third-straight Big West Player of the Week award after batting .700 with a 1.700 slugging percentage in the series sweep. She cranked a pair of home runs in the game one victory, her second multi-home run game of the season, and added five RBIs over the three games to raise her season total to a league-high 48. She also had two doubles and a triple to give her a league-high 25 extra-base hits in 2015.Â
In the circle, senior Brianna Elder did not allow a run in 10 innings of work to go with 12 strikeouts. Freshman Zoe Conley picked up two victories in the circle for CSUN and both she and Elder currently sport 15 wins on the season.Â
This week offers a tough challenge for CSUN in its first home games in two weeks. The UC Riverside Highlanders are enjoying one of the best seasons in their Division I era, owning a 32-12 overall record and 4-5 mark in the Big West Conference. Junior pitcher Chelsea Ponce has been on the league's top hurlers this year, carrying a 24-8 record with a 1.28 ERA, 146 strikeouts and a .185 opponent batting average in 196.2 innings of work. She has started 30 of UCR's 44 games and opponents have collected just 51 extra-base hits off UCR in 315.2 innings of work this season.Â
At the plate, the Highlanders boast six regulars currently batting over .300 for the season. Haley Harris leads the club with a .367 average and has 33 runs, three doubles, five triples, 17 RBIs and 10 stolen bases on the season. Karina Romero owns a team-high eight doubles while Rebecca Faulkner has a team-high six home runs and 32 RBIs. As a team UCR carries a .361 on-base percentage and .384 slugging percentage into this weekend's games.Â
Following the series with the Highlanders, CSUN hits the road again for a series at Long Beach State. The Matadors and 49ers will play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 25 and a single game on Sunday, April 26. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. from Long Beach both days.
Follow Your Matadors Online
All home games this season will include live stats coverage and selected contests will also feature a free audio broadcast 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.
