LOS ANGELES, Calif. – For the first time since March 23, the Pacific softball team hits the road as the Tigers travel to Loyola Marymount to compete in a three-game series starting with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 23.
The Tigers are coming off a two-game series against San Diego, where the long ball highlighted the conference contests. This past weekend, Carly Lucchetti and Rian Dirmeyer were responsible for all the Tigers' five runs, knocking back-to-back home runs to force a late rally on April 15. Dirmeyer followed with her second straight game with a home run as hit she tallied her team-leading eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot over the left-field fence, the next day.
With her first home run since March 6, 2021, at UC Davis, Lucchetti has increased her career total to three. After recording three hits last weekend, the senior from Linden, Calif., has accumulated 43 hits, the most she has tallied in a single season. Dirmeyer is second on the team with 42 hits while leading the team with a .622 slugging percentage. The duo ranks first and second on the team in batting average and has 36 of the team's 108 RBI this season.
In her last three outings, Avery Croxall has been lights out in the circle, allowing only two earned runs in 8.2 innings. Croxall entered in relief in both games against the Toreros and pitched a gem. In her four innings pitched on April 16, Croxall only allowed five baserunners en route to her first scoreless outing of at least two innings pitched this season. With two strikeouts recorded in two games against San Diego, the freshman from Pleasant Grove, Calif., has increased her season total to 25.
Loyola Marymount enters the weekend with the best record in the West Coast Conference and has surpassed 20 wins for the 22nd time in program history. The first-place Lions have won seven of their last nine contests, including a three-game sweep of Saint Mary's last weekend.
Georgia Blair leads the team in multiple statistical categories, including batting average, extra-base hits, and slugging percentage. Blair leads the team and conference with a .414 batting average, tallying 41 hits in 99 at-bats. The graduate student from Gold Coast, Australia, has garnered WCC Player of the Week honors twice in her first season competing with the Lions.
Saturday's doubleheader will be the 25th and 26th meetings between the two programs, dating back to the 1999 season. Before rejoining the West Coast Conference in the 2014 season, the Tigers held a 2-1 record, outscoring the Lions, 20-8. Since the two programs became regular opponents in 2014, the matchup has been much closer, with the Tigers holding a narrow 11-10 advantage. During the past eight seasons, the Tigers have scored six or more runs five times and are a perfect 5-0 in those contests.
For more information about the series and future events, follow Pacific softball on social media and download the Pacific Athletics mobile app to keep up with news regarding your favorite Pacific Tiger teams.
