STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific softball team hits the road for a midweek non-conference contest when it takes on San Jose State at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, at Spartan Softball Stadium.
The Tigers (8-13) have won five of the last six games and are coming off a doubleheader sweep of Dartmouth last Thursday at Bill Simoni Field. Led by
Carly Lucchetti and
Kyla Eck, the Tigers recorded 14 hits throughout the two games, with Lucchetti and Eck combining for five.
Lucchetti registered two hits in three at-bats in the first game of the doubleheader and tied a season-high three RBI during the contest. The graduate student from Linden, Calif., leads the team and is the lone team member with double-digit RBI this season, tallying 12 in 21 games.
Eck extended her hitting streak to six games by tallying three hits and one RBI throughout the afternoon. In the last six contests, Eck is batting .500 with 11 hits in 22 at-bats. The sophomore from Andale, Kan., leads the Tigers and ranks fifth in the conference with a .380 batting average in 17 games played this season.
Four players recorded home runs throughout the two games, the most by the Tigers in a two-game stretch this season. In the first game of the doubleheader, Lucchetti and
Nina Davis powered solo home runs, lifting the Tigers to a 7-1 win, while the nightcap saw
Rian Dirmeyer and Eck produce two of the team's three runs with the long ball.
Solid pitching performances throughout the doubleheader gave the Tigers a defensive boost, as
Vanessa Strong and
Scarlett Lloyd earned starts in the circle. Strong shut down the Big Green in a solid six-inning performance, earning the start in the circle for the seventh time this season. Strong allowed only one run on four hits and tied a career-high in strikeouts, fanning eight batters throughout her outing.
Llyod pitched four innings of three-hit ball and struck out four batters, while
Avery Croxall pitched the final two innings and collected her team-leading third save of the season.
San Jose State enters Wednesday's contest after opening Mountain West Conference play with two wins over Nevada at home last weekend. The Spartans (13-15) have won five of their last six games and have a solid 10-6 record while competing at Spartan Softball Stadium this season.
Alyssa Graham leads the team offensively, recording a team-leading .365 batting average in 28 games. Earning the start in every game so far this season, Graham also ranks first on the team in hits (31), runs scored (24), RBI (16), and slugging percentage (.612).
In 13 appearances in the circle, Jenessa Ullegue leads the team with a 6-3 record and a 4.27 earned-run average. In 46.1 innings pitched, Ullegue has allowed 42 hits, 22 earned runs, and 17 walks. In her last two starts against Rhode Island and Nevada, Ullegue threw two complete games, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out 24 batters.
Since the 2006 season, the two programs have faced off 18 times, with the Tigers holding a narrow 11-7 advantage. The Tigers slipped by the Spartans in the last meeting, earning a come-from-behind 3-2 victory last season at Bill Simoni Field.
