SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Getting set for its second home tournament in as many weeks, Santa Clara softball will host the 2014 Santa Clara Marriott Invitational. The Broncos will host Seattle, Boston, and UC Davis. On Fri., Feb. 28 Santa Clara will play Boston at 3:30 pm and Seattle at 6 p.m. On Sat., March 1 the Broncos will play UC Davis at 12 p.m. and on Sun., March 2 they will play Seattle at 3 p.m. The whole schedule can be found here. Santa Clara enters the week with a 0-8 record. Seattle University is 5-11, UC Davis is 5-13, and Boston is 3-1.
Krista Jensen is leading the Bronco offense with a .333 (4-12) batting average in seven games, including six starts, with a double. Stephanie Fisher is hitting .286 (6-21) with a .348 on-base percentage. Fisher added a run scored, a stolen base, a double, and a triple. Kelly Scribner has one home run while hitting .250 (5-20) and while Jordan Newell is also hitting .250 (3-12) with a home run.
"This week we've been working on putting ourselves on pressure situations and taking a ton of hacks," said Santa Clara head coach Lisa Mize. "Right now it's more of a mental struggle for us than a physical one. We're talking a lot about our approach at the plate and how we just need to get some timely hitting.
Jessica Turner has thrown a team-high 22.2 innings in five games, including four starts. Turner has thrown two complete games and has struck out eight. Brianna Rios has pitched in five games and made two starts while tossing 14.2 innings with a team-high 10 strikeouts. Ciara Gonzales has made two starts and pitched in four games covering 10.0 innings.
"The pitching was really good for us last weekend," said Mize. "They kept the ball down and got us a lot of groundballs which is great to see. They also cut down on their walks and kept us in the ballgame. We really hope to see them continue with that and take another step forward."
Seattle University enters the week with a 5-11 overall record.
Lisa Maulden leads the Redhawks in hitting with a .424 (14-33) batting averge and a .525 OBP. Maulden has hit three home runs, one triple, and two doubles with 11 RBI and eight runs scored. Jenny Hurst has started all 16 games has is hitting .405 (17-42) with two home runs and six doubles. Hurst has eight RBI and eight runs scored to go with a team-best 10 walks. Bubba Morrow leads Seattle with four home runs, 15 runs scored, and 15 RBI. Morrow is hitting .400 (22-55) and has two stolen bases.
Richelle Ashburn leads Seattle in ERA with a 3.96 mark in 23.0 innings. Ashburn is 2-2 and has made four starts with one complete game. She has fanned 15 and walked seven. Alyssa Reuble leads the team in innings pitched with 39.0 and strikeouts with 23. Reuble is 1-4 and has appeared in 10 games with six starts and a complete game.
Amy Nunez is tops on UC Davis with a .333 (17-51) batting average and has started all 18 games for the Aggies. Nunez had one home run and five doubles to go with eight RBI and seven runs scored. Christa Castello had a team-high nine RBI and is hitting .328 (20-61). She has hit one triple and three doubles to go with three stolen bases.
Dana Cruse is 3-4 with a 4.78 ERA in a team-best 41.0 innings. Cruse has appeared in 13 games while making eight starts and throwing one complete game shutout. She has struck out 18 batters this season. Andrew Reynolds is 1-4 with a 4.57 ERA in 13 games and two starts. Reynolds has struck out 13 against 11 walks.
Lauren Hynes leads Boston with a .600 (3-5) average and has five walks for an .800 OBP. Hynes has one double and scored three runs. Moriah Connolly is hitting .500 (7-14) and leads the team with three triples. Connolly has scored four runs and driven in two with three stolen bases. Mandy Fernandez leads Boston in RBI with four and is hitting .455 (5-11). Fernandez has scored one run to go with a double.
Melanie Russell leads the team with 17.0 innings pitched and is 2-1 with a 1.24 ERA. She has made two starts and appeared in three games while throwing one complete game. Russell has struck out 15 batters and walked three. Makinna Akers made one start and threw 6.0 innings while striking out two and picking up the win. Lauren Hynes has pitched 4.0 innings in three games and has the lone Terrier save.