Matadors Travel to UC Riverside to Continue Hot Start in Big West Play

GAME NOTES
NORTHRIDGE, Calif -- CSUN Softball (13-15, 6-2 Big West) hits the road again as the Matadors take on the UC Riverside Highlanders (14-18, 5-4 Big West) for a three-game series at Amy S. Harrison Softball Field on Friday and Saturday. These two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, with the games being at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively. Then, both schools will finish the series with a game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Every game will be livestreamed on ESPN+.

LAST TIME IN THE BATTER'S BOX
CSUN Softball won a very close series against consensus preseason pick to win the Big West in Long Beach State. In the first game of the doubleheader this past Friday, CSUN won the game 6-5 on a walk-off single from Tiara Westbrook in extra innings. Westbrook and Gizella Vargas Sandoval each had two RBIs in the win.

In the second game of Friday's doubleheader, the Matadors fell to the Beach, 7-5. The Matadors had the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the seventh but ultimately couldn't bring the runs across. Westbrook continued her hot streak at the plate as she had three runs batted in in the defeat as well.

During the rubber match of the series, these two teams went blow-for-blow. The game ended up going 10 innings. However, CSUN found a will and a way to end it. The Matadors won on a Jerzie Liana walk-off sacrifice fly that scored Westbrook to win, 5-4.
Liana led the Matadors with three runs batted in, while Kylie Galindo and Alexis Chavez each had three hits.

LEADING THE BIG WEST IN PITCHING - YOUR CSUN MATADORS
In Big West play, CSUN is leading the conference in pitching statistics. The Matadors are number one in ERA in Big West games with a 2.78 mark. CSUN has allowed the fewest runs (23) and struck out 28 in 58 innings. CSUN has also allowed the third fewest hits with 61.

KYLIE GALINDO FOR MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Galindo is currently on a tear at the plate this season. Last year, her junior year, Galindo batted .226 as the primary catcher. She has obliterated that mark so far this year. She is currently batting .439 to lead the team. She has 25 hits, 11 runs batted in and one home run. The senior from Rancho Cucamonga is coming off a series against Long Beach State where she batted .700 with nine total bases against some of the best pitchers in the Big West. To play well at the plate and to play good defense as a catcher is a rarity, both Galindo is proving she can do both.

TIARA WESTBROOK - THE TRANSFER THAT BRINGS THE FIRE
Westbrook transferred to CSUN from Oregon State this past season and has already had an immediate impact on this Matador lineup. Earlier this season she had a superb performance in the Mary Nutter Classic. Westbrook took Big West Player of the Week honors for her contributions. She batted .588 with a .882 slugging percentage. Overall, Westbrook is leading the team in home runs with two, and she is second in RBI's with 19. She also is second in total bases with 40.

CARRANCO THE CAPTAIN IN THE CIRCLE
Carranco has been the best Matador pitcher seemingly since she first put on the uniform her freshman year. She has had impressive numbers during her first two seasons, and her junior year is no different. The junior from Clovis is 7-5 with a 2.82 ERA (good enough for second in the Big West) against some very strong opponents. She has 11 complete games so far this season while tallying 66 strikeouts in the process. She already has 96 innings pitched in 15 appearances. Carranco was a Preseason All Big-West Team honoree and she is proving to be worthy of that accolade so far.

SCOUTING UC RIVERSIDE
The Highlanders enter this weekend's matchup against CSUN on a four-game losing streak. They were swept by UC San Diego last weekend and were defeated by Grand Canyon University on Wednesday. UCR is led in hitting by a two-headed monster in Rebeca Cabezas and Kamryn Davis. Cabezas is currently batting .397 with eight doubles. Davis is currently batting .379 and leads the team with 51 total bases.

UCR is led in the circle by Maddie Heinlin, who has a 2.85 ERA in 20 appearances. She has 11 complete games and one shutout.

Series History: CSUN is 41-15 in its history against UC Riverside. CSUN's last win came on April 19, 2024 where the Matadors won 1-0.

Matadors Travel to UC Riverside to Continue Hot Start in Big West Play

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Players Mentioned

Alexis Chavez

Kylie Galindo

Jerzie Liana

Gizella Vargas Sandoval

Tiara Westbrook