BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – With the third seed in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament locked up, the Roadrunner softball team is set for its regular season finale this weekend. CSU Bakersfield will play host to Grand Canyon, Apr. 29-30, in a three game series. The Antelopes are currently two games ahead of the 'Runners for third in the Conference standings.
CSUB and GCU have met 17 times in the two programs' histories, including six times since the 'Runners joined the WAC in 2014. After dropping the 2014 WAC series 1-2, the 'Runners won the 2015 series 2-1 on the road. On Apr. 10, 2015, CSUB took a 12-7 shootout before closing the doubleheader with a 9-8 loss. The next day, CSUB won its first WAC series against the 'Lopes with a 9-5 win.
Grand Canyon (32-15, 7-5 WAC) comes into Bakersfield fresh off of a sweep against Utah Valley last weekend. Junior Camree Wartman leads the team with a .416 batting average and six home runs. The 'Lopes have nine players who see regular action hitting .296 or above while the pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.30. Junior Taylor Nowlin has a team-low 2.29 ERA while earning the majority of starts this season.
The Roadrunners are coming off of a tough series against WAC-leading NM State. The Aggies swept CSUB in New Mexico, but not without a battle. The 'Runners mounted comebacks in two of the games, giving NMSU everything it could handle, but ended up falling.
Sophomore Kaylynn Burt led the 'Runners with a .429 batting average (3-for-7) while hitting two extra-base hits, including her team-high second triple of the season. Freshman Chris Hipa also had three hits in the NM State series while tying for the third-most RBI for a 'Runner in a single game with four in Game 1.
This weekend's series against GCU will kick off on Friday, Apr. 29, with a single game, which will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday will see the series and the regular season come to an end with a doubleheader. First pitch is schedule for 1 p.m. while the Roadrunner seniors will be honored in between the two games on Senior Day. The seven CSUB seniors are Adrianna Cardoza, Alex Simmons, Amber Mills, Briana Pontecorvo, Makenzie Zinger, Michelle Cannata, and Sydney Raeber.
For information on tickets, visit GoRunners.com/tix or call 661-654-BLUE. Parking during CSUB athletic events is free.
~GoRunners.com~
