BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- After an eventful weekend at the Lynn Russell Miller Classic, the Pacific softball team returns to action on February 19 and 20 as the Tigers travel to take on CSU Bakersfield for a three-game weekend series.
 
Pacific competed in five games this past weekend and earned its first win of the season against Portland State on Saturday, Feb. 12. After falling behind 3-0, Rian Dirmeyer tallied her second career home run, a three-run shot, to cap off a five-run fifth inning to give the Tigers a 5-3 lead. The Tigers would eventually come out victorious on a Carly Lucchetti RBI single to solidify the win in the bottom of the eighth inning.
 
Dirmeyer, the reigning West Coast Conference Player of the Week, followed her performance in the win over the Vikings with another top-tier performance against Utah Valley. Dirmeyer tallied a career-high three hits against the Wolverines, including her second home run in as many games, a lead-off blast that gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead. In the five games this weekend, Dirmeyer tallied team-highs in hits (nine), RBI (six), home runs (two), and slugging percentage (.944).
 
Lucchetti also excelled in the Lynn Russell Miller Classic, tallying eight hits throughout the weekend, including a triple in the win over the Vikings. The senior from Linden, Calif., is tied with Dirmeyer, ranking second in the conference with a .500 batting average after going eight-for-16. Lucchetti tallied a .529 on-base percentage in five games and is second on the team with a .625 slugging percentage. 
 
CSU Bakersfield enters the weekend 0-5 after dropping its first five games to start the season at the Rebel Kickoff in Las Vegas, Nev, including two games against conference foe BYU. The Roadrunners are led by Maya Williams, who had a productive weekend, recording four hits and seven RBI. Williams also tallied her 18th-career home run as she went two-for-three with three RBI and two extra-base hits in a 7-5 loss to Hawaii.
 
Kaia Johnson leads the Roadrunners with a .500 batting average after tallying four hits in eight at-bats this past weekend. Johnson, who started four games in left field to start the season, scored one run for the Roadrunners and stole a base in the second inning in the loss to BYU on February 12.

Since 2008, Pacific has had a firm grasp on the matchup, winning 15 of the last 19 games played. The Tigers have won five of the last six contests including a 6-1 win over the Roadrunners on February 15, 2020. In that game, the Tigers used three-run fourth and fifth innings to come from behind to earn its first win of the 2020 Libby Matson Tournament. 
 
With CSU Bakersfield partnering with ESPN, the doubleheader games on February 20 will be broadcasted on ESPN+. 
 
For more information regarding Pacific softball's weekend games, visit www.pacifictigers.com.