California State University at Northridge
Saint Mary's
CSUN Returns Home Before Hitting the Road for Fresno
3/6/2024 4:00:00 PM | Softball
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STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE
CSUN (14-4) returns home to take on Saint Mary's (11-5) on Thursday, Mar. 7, at 10:30 a.m. The Matadors will then hit the road to the Fresno State Classic at Margie Wright Diamond at Fresno. CSUN will take on San Diego (5-15) and Fresno State (14-5) on Friday, Mar. 8, at 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively. The Matadors will then face Rutgers (13-7) and Nevada (15-5) on Saturday, Mar. 9, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m, respectively.
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. UNLVÂ
The Rebels were the first to score with a single run in the bottom of the first inning. Isabella Alonso and the Matador defense would hold strong as they didn't allow UNLV to score again through the first five innings. At the top of the sixth inning, CSUN managed to break through the Rebels' defense as Alexis Chavez tied the game with a single into left field to bring Shaylan Whatman home. UNLV didn't flinch as the Rebels broke open the game with 7 runs at the bottom of the sixth to take the lead back at 8-1. The Matadors tried to start a late rally as Gizella Vargas Sandoval singled into left field to bring in Kennedy Gustin, but the Rebels took the game 8-2.Â
vs. San Diego
CSUN took the next game 8-1. The Matadors started strong as they scored first with a triple by Mikayla Carman to bring Whatman home. They carried their momentum into the second inning as Vinessa Nunez singled into center field to bring in Maiya Alemania. Whatman followed with an explosive two-run home run to bring CSUN's lead to 4-0. The Matadors kept the hits coming in the top of the fourth inning as Carman hit a single to bring Whatman home. Chavez struck next as she scored a run on a wild pitch by the Toreros. Kaylee Escutia brought in the final run of the inning with a double to bring the Matadors' score to 7-0. At the top of the seventh inning, Vargas Sandoval gave CSUN its final run with a score on another wild pitch. The Toreros tried to make a comeback in the bottom of the seventh with a run of their own, but Lauryn Carranco shut them down.Â
vs. UNLVÂ
The Matadors started strong defensively as Carranco stepped into the circle in game one. CSUN scored both of their runs in the bottom of the second inning on a throwing error by the Rebels and a sacrifice bunt from Vinessa Nunez. The Rebels tried to close the deficit through the remaining innings as a few reached base on walks, but were unable to score. CSUN's defense remained impenetrable as the UNLV Rebels were not able to get on the scoreboard.
vs. San Diego
The Matadors earned another shutout in game two as Shaylan Whatman opened the scoring by belting her 4th home run of the season. Isabella Alonso and the Matador defense worked together to keep the Toreros from scoring through the next four innings. In the top of the fifth, Moani Ioane hit a double to bring in Jerzie Ruiz for the Matadors' second run. San Diego tried to answer in the bottom of the inning, but Alonso kept them at bay through the end of the game.
ABOUT SAINT MARY'S
The Gaels are coming off a 6-1 win against Wagner on Saturday afternoon. They will be playing California Tuesday, Mar. 5, before taking on CSUN. Saint Mary's adds 10 freshmen to its roster. Freshman Sam Buckley leads the team in batting average with .459. She also leads in RBIs with 16. Senior Marissa Montelongo leads in runs with 19. Sophomore Hannah Ferguson leads the team with 20 hits. Freshman Mia Nishikawa leads the team with a 1.75 ERA. She has 18 strikeouts and has allowed 34 hits with 13 runs. Head coach Sonja Garnett is in her sixth season at the helm. The Matadors lead series history with 11 wins and two losses. The last time Saint Mary's played CSUN was in 2019 when the Matadors took all three games in the series.Â
ABOUT SAN DIEGO
The Toreros are coming off a 4-0 loss against UNLV. They will be playing UC San Diego before taking on CSUN. San Diego adds eight freshmen to its roster. Junior Arisa Tovar leads the team in batting average with .405. Junior Joecellia Roberts leads the team in RBIs (11), hits (19), and is tied in runs (8). Sophomore Emma Giaime leads the team with an ERA of 2.96. She has six strikeouts and has allowed 30 hits with 13 runs. MJ Knighten enters her second season as head coach. The Matadors lead series history with 12 wins and eight losses. The last time they played was in the San Diego Classic. The Matadors took both games with 8-1 and 2-0 victories.
ABOUT FRESNO STATE
The Bulldogs are coming off a 2-0 loss against Cal State Fullerton on Sunday afternoon. Fresno State adds six freshmen to its roster. Sophomore Kennedy Bunker leads the team in batting average with .455 and in hits with 25. Senior Sophia Medellin leads the team in runs (15) and RBIs (16). Senior Taylor Gilmore leads the team with an ERA of 2.17. She has 58 strikeouts and has allowed 51 hits and 18 runs. Head coach Stacy May-Johnson is in her third season. The Bulldogs lead series history with 41 wins and 21 losses. The last time they played was in 2019 when Fresno State won 2-0.Â
ABOUT RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 10-2 win against Rider on Sunday. Rutgers adds four freshmen to its roster. Senior Kyleigh Sand leads in batting average with .412, runs (24), and hits (28). Senior Morgan Smith leads the team in home runs with eight and is tied in RBIs (21). Fifth year pitcher Mattie Boyd has a 3.04 ERA. She has 46 strikeouts and has allowed 47 hits with 31 runs. Head coach Kristen Butler is in her sixth season. CSUN leads series history against Rutgers at 4-2. The last time the Matadors played the Scarlet Knights, CSUN took the win with a final score of 8-3.
ABOUT NEVADA
The Wolf Pack are coming off a 5-3 win over UC Riverside. They will take on Stanford before playing CSUN. The University of Nevada adds five freshmen to its roster. Senior Gabby Herrera leads in batting average with .500 and hits with 31. Graduate student Taryn Jenkins leads the team in home runs (7) and RBI (30). Graduate student Chelie Senini leads the team in runs with 21. Senior pitcher Tyra Clary has a 1.11 ERA. She has 23 strikeouts and has allowed 21 hits and eight runs. Marina Demore was named interim head coach for the 2023-24 season. CSUN leads series history with 13 wins and three losses. The last time the Matadors faced the Pack was in 2022 when CSUN won 3-2 in eight innings.Â
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