Junior catcher Alexis Gonzalez leads the red hot Titans with seven home runs and 35 RBIs. Fullerton remains a perfect 9-0 in conference play this season.
(Patrick Do/Daily Titan Stock Photo)
Looking to stay undefeated in the month of April, the Cal State Fullerton softball team will host the University of San Diego Toreros in a nonconference matchup Tuesday.
Taking a well-deserved break from Big West play, the Titans go into Tuesday’s contest riding a huge wave of momentum as they are currently on a nine-game winning streak.
Fullerton’s impressive 9-0 conference record places it atop the Big West Conference standings, far above Cal State Northridge (25-19 overall, 5-4 Big West), which resides in second place.
The Titans’ most recent outing came in a three-game series sweep over the UC Davis Aggies this past weekend. Formidable pitching from Titan aces Desiree Ybarra and Sydney Golden helped silence the UC Davis offense, allowing just four runs throughout the entire series, the Titans scoring 19.
The pitching staff for Fullerton has been on a tear the entire season, as it boasts a 2.12 ERA overall and an even better 1.05 ERA in conference, which leads the Big West. The Titans also own a conference-leading 47 strikeouts.
The Titans’ offense has played consistently through the course of the season as they don a .309 batting average and an on-base percentage of .392. They have also accumulated a staggering amount of RBIs and home runs with 194 and 19, respectively.
Players to watch out for during Tuesday’s game against the Toreros include CSUF’s senior infielder Missy Taukeiaho, who owns an impressive batting average of .389 and has logged in 29 RBIs. Taukeiaho’s teammate Alexis Gonzalez has followed suit, as she goes into the game with a .371 average at the plate and a team-leading 35 RBIs.
The Toreros have struggled this season as they have a subpar 16-25 overall record and 3-9 record in conference play. However, they are coming off a solid 2-1 series win over the Loyola Marymount University Lions, which should give them a slight confidence boost in the contest against the Titans.
San Diego currently boasts a respectable .291 batting average and a .349 on-base percentage. The Toreros have tallied 158 RBIs, but have allowed their opponents to record a total of 181.
Despite their decent offensive showings, the Toreros have experienced many troubles on the defensive end as the pitching rotation owns an abysmal 4.34 ERA. Junior right-hander Megan Sabbatini has been San Diego’s best option in the circle, with a 3.39 ERA.
Before they head out to the University of Hawaii for a conference series against the Rainbow Wahine, the Titans look to extend their winning streak to 10 games as they take on San Diego on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Anderson Family Field.