SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, Santa Clara softball hosts San Diego on Sat., May 10 at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. and Sun., May 11 at 10 a.m. for Senior Day. Last week the Broncos dropped a midweek game to Cal State Fullerton but bounced back with a three-game sweep at LMU. The Broncos are now 10-31 overall and 5-7 in WCC action.
"These seniors were my first big recruiting class and they've built a great foundation for where we want to take our program and the type of athletes we want here," said Santa Clara head coach Lisa Mize. "They've really set the bar high for getting the program going in the right direction."
Stephanie Fisher leads Santa Clara with a .364 (47-129) batting average and is one of just two players to play in every game this year. Fisher has hit four home runs, two triples, and a team-best 10 doubles while also leading the Broncos in runs scored with 18. She has knocked in 19 and swiped two bags. Kelly Scribner, named the WCC Player of the Week on May 5, leads Santa Clara with eight home runs and a .603 slugging percentage while starting every game this season. Scribner has added nine doubles to go with 18 RBI and 16 runs scored. Geenamarie Bonilla is tops on the Broncos with 25 RBI and is hitting .266 (29-109). Bonilla has hit one triple and five doubles while scoring 10 runs.
Ciara Gonzales leads Santa Clara pitchers in ERA (3.42), wins (5), appearances (35), starts (21), complete games (11), shutouts (2), saves (1), innings pitched (143.1), and strikeouts (33). Jessica Turner has picked up four wins in 21 games, including nine starts and three complete games. Over 67.0 innings pitched, Turner has fanned 30.
With a three-game sweep of the Toreros, Santa Clara could finish the season as high as tied for second in the newly formed WCC.
"Having a strong finish in our conference would be a true testament to how hard we've worked this year," said Mize. "It would really show that our program is on the upswing. San Diego is going to be a tough club but we're up for the challenge. We've been playing well and our games have been close for the most part in the second half of the season. We're looking forward to the matchup."
San Diego enters the week with a 23-21 overall record and a 7-5 mark in conference play. The Toreros had the weekend off but the previous week dropped two of three at Pacific before topping San Diego State in a midweek game.
Olivia Sandusky leads the Toreros with a .324 (34-105) batting average. Sandusky has hit one home run, one triple, and five doubles to go with 19 RBI and 17 runs scored. She leads the team with eight stolen bases in 11 attempts. Mary Grabowski leads San Diego with four home runs and 21 RBI while hitting .280 (33-118). Grabowski has one triple and two doubles to go with 19 runs scored. Dana Prelsnik is tops on the team with 26 runs scored and is hitting .276 (40-145). Prelsnik has hit seven doubles and one triple to go with eight RBI and seven steals.
Jenny Lahitte leads San Diego with a 2.31 ERA and has a record of 9-10. Lahitte has appeared in 24 games and made 18 starts with 11 complete games, two shutouts, and two saves. She has fanned 126 against 49 walks in 121.0 innings. Cassidy Coleman leads the Toreros in innings pitched with 153.0 and wins with a 12-10 record. In 29 games, including 23 starts, Coleman has thrown 16 complete games and four shutouts while picking up a save. She has fanned 182 against 55 walks.