California State University at Northridge
Hawai'i
Matadors Voyage to Honolulu for Big West Series with Hawai'i
4/7/2016 7:41:00 AM | Softball
CSUN Plays Single Game Friday and Doubleheader Saturday
CSUN Game Notes
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- The CSUN softball team (21-16, 1-2 Big West) travels to Honolulu to face the University of Hawai'i for a three-game Big West Conference at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. The two teams will play a single game on Friday, April 8 at 6 p.m. (PT) and then a doubleheader on Saturday, April 9 starting at 5 p.m. (PT). Links for the multimedia, including live stats for all three games, are available at GoMatadors.com and fans are also encouraged to check in with the CSUN Softball's official Twitter account (@CSUNSoftball) for updates throughout the series.Â
Last week, the Matadors dropped a tough series to Long Beach State. In game one, senior Ariana Wassmer lifted a sac fly to score Taylor Glover in the bottom of the eighth as CSUN won 2-1. Daphne Pofek tossed a complete game in the victory and freshman Haileigh Gonzalez delivered a pinch-hit RBI single to tie the game in the sixth.Â
Games two and three did not go CSUN's way unfortunately. In the second game of the doubleheader, the 49ers hit a two-out, two-run home run in the top of the seventh and survived a late CSUN rally, sparked by a Maylynn Mitchell home run, as the Matadors fell short in a 3-2 loss. In game three, LBSU won 2-0 as the Matadors managed just two hits in defeat.Â
Hawai'i is 17-19 overall and 1-2 in the league after dropping two of three games at UC Davis.Â
At the plate, Keiki Carlos leads the squad with a .295 batting average and has six doubles and three stolen bases on the season. Nicole Lopez (.277) and Sarah Muzik (.272) are tied with Carlos for the team lead with 31 hits and Lopez leads the team with three home runs and 18 RBIs. As a team, Hawai'i is batting .238 with 33 doubles, 18 home runs and 20 stolen bases.Â
In the circle, Brittany Hitchcock has a 7-9 record with a 2.56 ERA, 66 strikeouts and a .270 opponent batting average in 98.1 innings of work. She has walked just five batters in that time, but allowed 110 hits. Kanani Aina Cabrales is 7-7 on the season with a 3.58 ERA and 60 Ks and a .243 batting average in 97.2 innings of work. She has allowed 11 home runs and 19 doubles on the year. As a team, the Rainbow Wahine has a 3.36 ERA and a .271 opponent batting average in 244 innings of work.
Over the last two years, the two teams are 3-3 against each other with both teams winning a series on the road. In 2014, the Matadors made their first trip to Honolulu and took two out of three games. Last season, the Rainbow Wahine came to Matador Diamond and took two out of three games. Hawai'i leads the all-time series with CSUN 14-9-1.Â
Upon returning from the Hawaiian Islands, CSUN will host UC Santa Barbara in a three-game Big West series at Matador Diamond. On Saturday, April 16, the teams will play a doubleheader and then a single game on Sunday, April 17 with both days starting at 1 p.m.
CSUN Team Notes
- Sophomore Savannah Horvath is second in the Big West with 35 runs, third in total bases (71) and doubles and ranks fourth in stolen bases (15)
- Junior Taylor Glover ranks third in Division I as of April 4 with a .508 batting average
- Freshman Mackenzie Babbitt set new career highs with three runs scored and two hits at CSU Bakersfield on Mar. 29
- With 29 career stolen bases, Horvath already ranks 10th in program history
- Junior Katie Hooper has 31 career doubles, needing six more to move into second in program history
- Glover is just the 10th player in program history with 200+ career hitsÂ
- Junior Karlie Habitz has caught six runners trying to steal a base, tying for first in the Big West
- Freshman Taylor Troost ranks eighth in Big West in innings pitched (93.2), tied for ninth in Ks (60) and seventh in ERA (3.44)
- Senior Maylynn Mitchell hit her first home run of the season in the Matadors' Big West series with Long Beach State
- Senior Madalyne Handy won the Dick Enberg Post-Graduate Scholarship for Academic Excellence
- Senior Ariana Wassmer leads the Big West in defensive putouts (275) and fielding double plays (14)
- Junior Daphne Pofek ranks 10th in Big West with opponent batting average of .260 and tied for sixth in wins (8)
- Junior Rebecca Bell ranks 10th in the Big West in ERA (3.50) as of April 4
- Junior Katie Chenault earned a win and save in CSUN's doubleheader sweep at CSUB on Mar. 29
- In 2016, the Matadors have stolen 60 bases to rank fourth in the Big West as of April 4
- The Matadors have totaled 50 doubles in the 2016 season, ranking third in the Big West as of April 4
Next Week
Upon returning from Hawai'i, CSUN will travel to UCLA for its final non-conference game of the 2016 season on Wednesday, April 13 at 7 p.m. After the game with the Bruins, the Matadors will host UC Santa Barbara in a three-game Big West series at Matador Diamond. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 16 and a single game on Sunday, April 17 with both days starting at 1 p.m.Â
