SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Getting set to play at home for the first time this season, Santa Clara softball hosts the Santa Clara Marriott Bronco Classic beginning Fri., Feb. 20. Santa Clara welcomes San Jose State, Idaho State, Illinois-Chicago, and Seattle to the Mission campus this weekend. Santa Clara will face Seattle at 5:30 on Fri., Feb. 20, UIC and Seattle Sat., Feb. 21, and Idaho State Sun., Feb. 21. Last week Santa Clara picked up a win at the Fresno State Bulldogs Invitational. Their four losses at the tournament were by a combined five runs, with one loss coming in extra innings. Santa Clara is 2-9 on the year.
"After so many close games last weekend we talked a lot about trusting the process, celebrating the positives, and getting a little better everyday," said Santa Clara head coach Lisa Mize. "To turn those games into wins we need to focus on shutting the door on defense and capitalizing with runners in scoring position. We have proven to ourselves that we have talent and the ability to play with some good teams. We believe in each other and recognize that there are no easy games so we have to give our all every seven innings we play."
Mize continued about the excitement of playing at home for the first time this season.
"We are very excited to be home, especially with the new additions to our stadium," said Mize. "It will be good to be able to sleep in our own bed and have our Bronco fans here to cheer us on. We'll also be playing on a field that we are proud of and love to play on."
Santa Clara is hitting .269 (83-309) as a team with eight home runs, one triple, and 14 doubles. They post a 4.71 ERA with 30 strikeouts and 30 walks in 71.1 innings. The Broncos have been outscored 54-38 this season.
Casandra Padilla leads the team with a .414 (12-29) batting average. She has two home runs, four doubles, six RBI, and a team-high eight runs scored. Breezy Bernard is hitting .333 (13-39) with five doubles and three RBI. Gianetta France leads the team with five home runs and 12 RBI while hitting .333 (12-36). She has added a double and six runs scored.
Ciara Gonzales has thrown a team-high 29.2 innings with 10 strikeouts and seven walks. Gonzales has appeared in eight games with five starts and two complete games. She is 2-3 with a 3.54 ERA. McCall James has thrown 20.0 innings as a true freshman over five games and two starts with a complete game. James has struck out 10 against four walks. Briana Rios has tossed 14.1 innings in five games and two starts. She has struck out five.
San Jose State is 8-3 this season and 0-1 on the road. The Spartans are hitting .380 (115-303) as a team with 15 home runs, one triple, and 15 doubles. They post a 5.32 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 38 walks in 66.0 innings. They have outscored their opponents 94-57.
Jessie Hufstetler leads the team in hitting with a .529 (18-34) batting average. She had five home runs, a team-high 24 RBI, 13 runs scored, and four doubles. Michelle Cox is batting .500 (19-38) with a team-best 16 runs scored and had added three RBI to go with a double and a triple. Sharon-Rena Estrada leads the team with seven home runs and has driven in 22 runs. She has scored 12 runs to go with two doubles.
Allison Lang leads the Spartans with 26.1 innings pitching in seven games and four stats. She has tossed two complete games and picked up two saves while striking out 21 and walking seven. She is 3-1 with a 3.76 ERA. Maddison Fish is 3-1 with a 6.98 ERA in 19.1 innings. She has fanned nine with 19 walks.
Idaho State is 3-7 this season and 1-5 on the road. The Bengals are hitting .237 (59-249) as a team with six home runs, two triples, and nine doubles. They post a 4.81 ERA with 30 strikeouts and 32 walks in 64.0 innings. They have been outscored on the season 47-41.
Kacie Burnett leads the team with a .481 (13-27) average and 11 runs scored. She had one home run and one double to go with six RBI. Vicky Galasso his hitting .300 (9-30) with a team-best three home runs and 13 RBI. She has scored six runs and added two doubles. Micheala Taylor is batting .294 (10-34) with two doubles, six runs scored, and two RBI.
Sophie Slagle had thrown a team-high 33.1 innings with 15 strikeouts and 20 walks. She has appeared in six games with five starts and thrown three complete games and one shutout. Slagle is 1-3 with a 4.20 ERA. Ashlyn Ames is 0-2 with a 4.27 ERA in 21.1 innings. She had appeared in five games and started one with a complete game. Ames has struck out seven with eight walks.
Seattle is 4-6 this season and 0-0 on the road. The Redhawks are hitting .310 (81-261) as a team with 12 home runs and 20 doubles. They post a 5.54 ERA with 32 strikeouts and 25 walks in 60.2 innings. They have been outscored this season 57-55.
Breanna Timmons leads the team with a .429 (9-21) batting averaged. She has added a home run, four doubles, five runs scored, and two RBI. Bubba Morrow leads the team with four home runs, nine RBI, and 11 runs scored. She has added three doubles while hitting .393 (11-28). Kayla Shuster-Gonzales is batting .333 (10-30) with three home runs, eight RBI, six runs scored, and three doubles.
Alyssa Reuble has appeared in six games while making five starts and throwing one complete game. She is 1-3 with a 5.88 ERA and has struck out 13 against 14 walks in 25.0 innings. Mandi Sugita leads the team with a 4.20 ERA and has posted a 2-2 record. In five games, including four starts, Sugita has thrown three complete games over 21.2 innings. She has struck out 12 with seven walks.
UIC is 3-2 this season and 0-0 on the road. The Flames are hitting .326 (43-132) as a team with one home run and two doubles. They post a 3.39 ERA with 19 strikeouts and 15 walks in 33.0 innings. They have tied their opponents with 19 runs each.
Erica Hampton leads the team with a .417 (5-12) average and has scored one run. LaRi Mitchell is batting .389 (7-18) with three runs scored and two RBI. Tiana Mack-Miller is hitting .333 (5-15) with the team's lone home run. She has added three RBI and three runs scored to go with a double.
Karissa Frazier is 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA in 17.0 innings. She has appeared in four games and made one start with a complete game and one save. Frazier has struck out 14 against six walks. Bridget Boyle is 1-0 with a 2.90 ERA in 9.2 innings. She has appeared in three games and made two starts with three strikeouts and three walks.
