April 14, 2010
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara softball team will play its first home series of the year this weekend, taking on Cal State Bakersfield in two Pacific Coast Softball Conference doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday at the West Valley College softball field in Saratoga, Calif. Both doubleheaders will begin at noon.
The Broncos (8-18 overall) struggled in their opening PCSC series last weekend, falling thrice to Sacramento State in California's capital city, and will look to post their first conference win this weekend over a team they are 2-0 against this season. Santa Clara defeated the Roadrunners at the Cal State Northridge Matador Invitational (March 7), 6-5, and also at the Stanford Invitational (March 28), 11-3.
The Broncos are led offensively by sophomore Kristin Welsh with a .338 batting average. Welsh also leads the team in slugging percentage (.492) and is tied for second in home runs (2). Senior pitcher Kaitlyn Rauschnot is carrying a 3.62 ERA and leads the team in appearances (19), games started (10), and complete games (7). Rauschnot is tied with freshman Ali Nash in wins (3) and shutouts (1). Five different players have a perfect fielding percentage, but sophomore outfielder Briana Knight stands out from the pack with 47 put-outs and two assists.
CSUB (12-26) resides in the bottom of the PCSC standings after the first weekend of play having dropped all four games to Loyola Marymount at home. Fans at this weekend's games can expect to see Sammy Rodriguez, who has a team-best 3.38 ERA, starting in the circle. Rodriguez is 7-12 overall and has pitched 16 complete games. Shawna Truan has pitched the most next to Rodriguez, throwing 40.0 innings and four complete games with a 6.41 ERA. The Runners have two batters over .300. Kelly Bailey is hitting .374 and 12 of her 46 hits have covered multiple bases. Ryane Petersen is hitting .369 and leads the team in home runs (7) and RBIs (35). Petersen is one of only two players on the CSUB roster to have started and played every game.
Saturday's games will be celebrated with a Bronco Bench Foundation barbecue, free for fans and alumni. West Valley College is located at 14000 Fruitvale Ave. in Saratoga, Calif. The softball complex is located on the southeastern side of the campus. For fans not in attendance, live stats via CBS College Sports' Gametracker will be available.