California State University at Northridge
UNLV
CSUN Hits the Road for San Diego Classic
2/28/2024 12:30:00 PM | Softball
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STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE
CSUN (11-3) gears up to hit the road for the San Diego Classic at the USD Softball Complex. The first day of the tournament will be Friday, Mar. 1. The Matadors will face UNLV (7-6) at 11:30 a.m. and San Diego (3-12) at 2 p.m. CSUN will continue play on Saturday, Mar. 2, against the same teams at the same time.Â
Tune in on ESPN+ for videos, or @CSUNSoftball on Twitter for in-game updates. All games will have live stats. The links for the live stream and stats will be available on GoMatadors.com.
LAST IN THE BATTER'S BOX
vs. Seattle UÂ
CSUN started strong as Shaylan Whatman hit a double to open the game against the Redhawks. Alexis Chavezfollowed with a grounder to bring Whatman home and score the first run of the game. The Matadors continued their momentum with more batters getting on base. Kaylee Escutia struck next with a 3-run homer to bring in Lulu Sanchez and Mikayla Carman. The Matadors kept the runs coming into the second inning as Chavez grounded again to bring in Vinessa Nunez. CSUN held its 5-0 lead until the bottom of the second when the Redhawks scored a run.
The Matadors didn't bat an eye as Nunez hit another single to bring in Jadyn Nielsen at the top of the third inning. The Redhawks came back in the bottom of the third, scoring twice. Seattle found an opening as the Redhawks scored two more to trim the CSUN lead to 6-4 at the bottom of the fifth. Lauryn Carranco kept her cool as she stopped the Redhawks from scoring in the sixth inning. Seattle threatened again in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with two outs, but Carranco shut the Redhawks down as she struck out the last batter to earn the win.
vs. University of Utah
CSUN looked to continue its momentum into game two as the Matadors stepped up to the plate first. Utah would be the first to score in the second inning. The Utes quickly took the lead with a homerun, a double to bring in two runners, and a grounder to bring in a final runner. The Utes scored another run in the bottom of the third to increase their lead to 5-0. The Utes then blew open the game, scoring three runs to open up an 8-0 lead. The Matadors had one more chance to score but were unable to as Utah claimed the game.
vs. Bethune-Cookman
CSUN started strong as Isabella Alonso didn't allow a single hit to get past her in the first three innings. The Wildcats finally managed a hit in the fourth inning, but the Matadors quickly shut them down. Alonso got another no-hitter in the fifth inning. CSUN was first to get on the scoreboard at the bottom of the fifth with a grounder by Mikayla Carman to bring Shaylan Whatman home.Â
The Wildcats tried to even the score, but were unable to at the top of the sixth. The Matadors struck again as Gizella Vargas Sandoval hit a single down the middle to bring in Raegan Jackson and Kennedy Gustin for two more runs. The Wildcats tried for one last attempt at the top of the seventh, but Alonso held them down with a complete shutout to take the game.Â
vs. Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights opened the game at the top of the first inning with a single to bring in an RBI. Lauryn Carranco didn't allow another run through the second and third innings. The Scarlet Knights didn't fold as they made a home run to increase their lead to 2-0. The Matadors were quick to answer back in the bottom of the inning with a single by Lulu Sanchez to bring another run for the Matadors.Â
Alexis Chavez followed at the bottom of the sixth with a grounder to bring in Kennedy Gustin to tie the game. The Scarlet Knights would break open the game at the top of the ninth inning where they got six more runs for a score of 8-2. Mikayla Carman would hit a single to bring in Chavez, but the rally would end there as the Scarlet Knights took the game.Â
ABOUT UNLV
The Rebels are coming off a 4-2 loss against Tulsa. UNLV adds six freshmen to its roster. Senior Janyssa Martin leads in batting average for the Rebels with .469. Junior Ariana Martinez leads the team in runs (14), RBIs (21), and home runs (4). Fifth year pitcher Alanna Thiede has the lowest ERA with 1.89. She has 26 strikeouts and has allowed 29 hits with 17 runs. Head coach Kristie Fox is in her seventh season at the helm. CSUN leads series history with 21 wins and 10 losses. The last time the teams met was on February 8, 2020 when the Rebels took the game in a 10-1 win.Â
ABOUT SAN DIEGO
The Toreros are coming off an 8-7 win against UC Riverside. San Diego adds eight freshmen to its roster. Freshman Carly Ruiz leads the team in batting average with .364. She is also tied for first on the team in runs with six. Junior Joecellia Roberts leads the team in hits (14) and RBIs (10). Sophomore Emma Giaime has an ERA of 3.56. She has four strikeouts and has allowed 27 hits with 13 runs. MJ Knighten enters her second season as head coach. The Matadors lead series history with 10 wins and eight losses. The last time they played was in Matador Diamond on April 19, 2023. The Toreros took the game with a 4-0 win.
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