STOCKTON, Calif. -- The Pacific softball team hosts the Mizuno Classic this weekend as the Tigers welcome Iowa State, Marist, Sacramento State, and Santa Clara to Bill Simoni Field.

This past weekend, the Tigers earned one win at the Mustang Classic, defeating Cal Poly 4-3 on March 11. Amiyah Aponte earned the start in the circle, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits. Aponte, who made her fifth start of the season, has been crucial to the Tigers' success. The sophomore from Riverside, Calif., lowered her earned-run average to 3.92 and is second on the team with 13 strikeouts.

Pacific took control early and gained a 3-0 lead after the first two innings of play. Rian Dirmeyer recorded the first game run on a Carly Lucchetti RBI single after tallying a one-out triple in the first inning. Dirmeyer added a two-out RBI single later in the top half of the second inning to extend the Tigers' lead. The duo ended the weekend combining for eight hits and four runs.

Emily Budelli was also successful during the weekend, tallying five hits and scoring a run against Nevada on March 13. Budelli has improved throughout the season and is now second on the team with a .351 batting average which ranks seventh-best in the West Coast Conference. The freshman from Gilroy, Calif., is also ranked in the top-five in the conference in stolen bases so far this season, recording 10 in 14 attempts.

Iowa State has won four of its last six games and comes into the weekend with a 15-9 record. The Cyclones, sit in fourth place in the Big 12 Conference standings, have three players batting over .300 as Mikayla Ramos leads the team with a .385 batting average. The Tigers have faced off against the Cyclones once in recent history, earning an 8-0 shutout victory during the Cathedral City Classic on February 12, 2012.

Marist has struggled as of late, dropping three straight games to nationally-ranked Arizona and Arizona State, and currently sit in fifth place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with a record of 9-12. The Red Foxes are led by Shea Walsh, who leads the team with a .371 batting average and ranks 16th in the MAAC in that statistical category. Walsh also leads the team in hits with 26 and ranks second on the team with four stolen bases.

Sacramento State is coming off a thrilling upset victory over Iowa State on March 13. With the Hornets only accumulating two hits against the Cyclones during the contest, a 2-5-3-6-1 rundown solidified the 3-2 victory as pitcher Marissa Bertuccio made a diving tag just before the tying run reached home plate. The Hornets come into the weekend with an even 12-12 record and has a record of 6-4 to begin the month of March. Lexie Web has been the workhorse for the Hornets to start the season as she leads the team with a .375 batting average. The sophomore also leads the team in at-bats (80), hits (30), and is the lone player with double-digit home runs with 10.

Santa Clara will also make an appearance at Bill Simoni Field as the Broncos will face off against Marist and Iowa State on Saturday. Santa Clara is coming into the weekend with a record of 12-17 after dropping four of five games at the Silicon Valley Classic last weekend. The Broncos are led by two players who have batting averages over .300 in Emma Bickford and Ashley Trierweiler. Bickford, who has a .371 batting average, leads the team in doubles with 10 and is tied with Morgan Salmon for the team lead in RBI with 16.

Tickets for the upcoming Mizuno Classic can be found here.