March 18, 2009
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara softball team will travel to local rival Stanford University to participate in the Stanford Invitational from March 20-22. The Broncos, 4-17 overall, will take on four teams over the three day weekend tournament. On Friday, March 20, SCU will square off with Winthrop at 11 a.m. and Pacific at 1:15 p.m. The following day the Broncos will play invite hosts No. 4 Stanford at 3:45 p.m. and Princeton at 6 p.m. Santa Clara will close out the weekend with a rematch versus Pacific at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday. Led by PCSC Co-Player of the Week Amanda Edmonson, the Broncos look to bounce back into the win column after dropping the season series to Nevada.
"We know we can play better than we did at Nevada and are looking forward to playing to our potential," said head coach Lisa Mize. "We need to come out and play hard all seven innings to have a successful run against teams this weekend."
Last Time Out
Santa Clara posted a perfect 2-0 record in their first home stand on March 11 versus Northern Illinois at their new home field - the West Valley Softball Complex. Behind pitcher Kaitlyn Rauschnot, SCU defeated the Huskies 5-3 in their first game of the day. The Broncos' junior pitcher gave up three runs in the top of the first inning, but a slugging Santa Clara offense came back from the three-run deficit to earn their first win at home. The win was Rauschnot's first win on the mound this season.
In the second game of the doubleheader versus NIU, SCU's bats were swinging, as all three runs were scored off of home runs. Sophomore Amanda Edmonson blasted her first home run of the season to begin the Bronco scoring run in the bottom of the first. The next inning, freshman Briana Knight slammed her third career homer to take a SCU 2-1 lead. Solidifying the Santa Clara lead was pitcher Jenna Fong, who hit her first long ball of the season. She also earned her second victory of the season on the mound in the Broncos 3-2 win over the Huskies. The back-to-back wins broke a three game losing streak and were the longest winning streak this season for the Broncos.
After a successful home opener, the Broncos could not repeat the success on the road in Reno, Nev. at University of Nevada from March 14-15. SCU dropped the season series to the Wolf Pack, falling in all three contests. In the first game of the weekend, freshman Catherine Surane hit her first career grand slam and home run, and Edmonson hit her second homer of the season in the Broncos 15-7 loss. In the second game of the day, SCU was shutout 12-0, and concluded the weekend with a 10-2 loss. Edmonson hit her third home run in four games.
Edmonson Named PCSC Co-Player of the Week
Sophomore Amanda Edmonson's long ball has been working for her this past week, as the Bronco infielder has hit three home runs in SCU's last four games. The SCU third baseman earned PCSC Co-Player of the Week honors for her performance last week. She went 6-for-11, doubling her hit count in five games, and is batting .279 for third best on the team. The Las Vegas, Nev. native has tallied at least one hit in four of Santa Clara's last five contests. This past week she posted five RBIs, four runs, two walks and a double. She hit her first home run of the season versus Northern Illinois, in Santa Clara's 3-2 victory at home. At Nevada, she blasted long balls in 2-of-3 games played.
Playing Perfect at Home
The Broncos boast a perfect 2-0 record at home this season. On March 11, SCU opened up play at their new home field, the West Valley College Softball Complex, with back-to-back wins. Not only was it the first time this season that Santa Clara has won consecutive games, but they are also now undefeated at home all-time. They defeated Northern Illinois, 5-3, and, 3-2, in the doubleheader.
The home field advantage proved to be beneficial for the Broncos, as junior pitcher Kaitlyn Rauschnot earned her first win of the season on the mound in the 5-3 victory, and sophomores Amanda Edmonson and Jenna Fong each hit their first home runs of the season in SCU's 3-2 win over the Huskies. Fong also earned her second victory of the season and her career on the mound in the outing.
Surane Blasts First Career Grand Slam
Freshman Catherine Surane hit her first career grand slam and home run against University of Nevada on March 14. The Newberry Park, Calif. native blasted a long ball over the left field wall for her second hit of the season. This season Surane is the lone Bronco to hit a grand slam and is one of five players to hit a homer. The Bronco catcher has played in 13 games and started four, tallying six RBIs, one run and a slugging percentage of .313.
Knight Continues to Lead at the Plate
Amidst her rookie campaign, freshman Briana Knight has proven herself to be a strong member of the Bronco lineup. She has led SCU all season with a .356 batting average, for fifth-best in the conference. In the last five games she went 6-for-12, with three runs, three RBIs, a home run and a double. She also tallied three walks and three stolen bases. Knight is in the top-10 in nine league statistical categories, leading in sacrifice flies with two, and is second in on base percentage with .420 and doubles with nine.
Rauschnot Earns Win No. 1 on the Mound
Junior pitcher Kaitlyn Rauschnot earned her first win of the season on the mound versus Northern Illinois on March 11. In the 5-3 Bronco victory, the Morgan Hill, Calif. native threw three strikeouts and allowed only six hits in 29 batters faced. This season she has appeared in 18 games and started 10. In 45.1 innings pitched she has thrown 13 strikeouts and three complete games.
Scouting Winthrop
The Winthrop Eagles make their first trip of the season to the West Coast. WU, 8-10, enters this weekend's action after going 2-5 in their last seven contests. The Eagles are led by senior outfielder Lisa Kingsmore, who in 18 starts is batting .421. She is 24-for-57, with 15 runs, six RBIs, five doubles, four walks, two home runs and a triple. She is also 3-for-3 in stolen bases this season. On the mound, junior pitcher Megan Evans is the only Winthrop pitcher with a winning record of 6-4. In 14 appearances and 11 games started, she's tallied 59 strikeouts, four complete games and a 2.94 ERA in 67.1 innings pitched. She's given up 42 hits, 28 walks and 26 runs this season, as well.
Scouting Pacific
The University of Pacific heads to Stanford after facing Darthmouth at home on Tuesday. The Tigers, who have lost their last three games, are 10-12 prior to their mid-week contest. The UOP five-player pitching rotation is averaging a 4.28 ERA this season. Leading the Tigers is senior Heidi Helberg, who is 4-3 on the season. In 50.2 innings pitched, she's thrown 31 strikeouts, three complete games and one shutout. She has given up 58 hits, 37 runs and 26 walks in 14 appearances. At the plate sophomore shortstop Nicole Matson is batting .405 to lead Pacific. In 22 games started, she's 30-for-74, with 24 RBIs, 22 runs, 10 doubles and four home runs. She is also 6-for-6 in stolen bases.
Scouting No. 4 Stanford
The fourth-ranked Stanford Cardinal enter their weekend tournament with a near perfect record of 24-1. They suffered their lone loss, 1-0, on Feb. 6, at home versus Oklahoma State. Since then they have won 23 consecutive games behind the pitching tandem of senior Missy Penna, 15-1, and sophomore Ashley Chinn, 9-0. Penna posts a 0.61 ERA in 16 starts. In 103.0 innings pitched she's thrown 120 strikeouts, 15 complete games and nine shutouts. She's given up 51 hits, 19 walk, 12 runs and no home runs have been hit off her. Chinn's tallied a 1.33 ERA in 58.0 innings pitched. In 10 appearances she's thrown 64 strikeouts, nine complete games and three shutouts. She's given up 36 hits, 13 runs and eight walks. The Cardinal are led by junior outfielder Alissa Haber at the plate. In 25 starts she posts a .494 batting average and a .867 slugging percentage. She is 41-for-83, with 31 runs, 16 RBIs, 13 doubles, four home runs and three triples.
Scouting Princeton
Princeton, 3-3, makes the trip to the Bay Area after falling in their last two games. The Tigers will face Saint Mary's and San Jose State on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, before heading to Stanford. Offensively, sophomore infielder Kristin Arguedas leads PU with a .438 batting average. She's tallied seven hits, three runs, three doubles and two RBIs in 16 at bats. In the circle, sophomore Michelle Tolfa, 2-2, and junior Jaime Lettire, 1-1, are averaging a 4.67 ERA. In 27.1 innings pitched, Tolfa posts 13 strikeouts and three complete games. She's given up 34 hits, 25 runs and 18 walks. Lettire's pitched 11.2 innings, throwing 11 strikeouts and one complete game. She's given up 14 runs, 14 hits, five doubles and three home runs in three appearances.
