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Softball

`Runners to Face Tough Teams in Utah This Weekend



BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Red Desert Classic represents a good challenge for the CSU Bakersfield softball team. The Roadrunners will head to St. George, Utah, Mar. 1-3, for five games over the weekend with host Southern Utah, Saint Mary's, Notre Dame (RV), and No. 21/22 Baylor as well as a rematch with Utah State.

"This weekend will be a very big challenge for us, but the challenge is why we play," said Crissy Buck-Ziegler, Head Coach of the `Runners. "I like this team and how they are fighting to find a way to come together. We have to just keep sticking to our process and allow ourselves to play our game."

CSUB is coming off a 1-4 showing at the Silicon Valley Classic last weekend. The bright spot of the tournament was the offensive performance of junior shortstop Cydney Curran. She recorded four triples over a five-game span including a school record two triples in a 6-5 victory over Santa Clara. A native of Ewa Beach, Hawai'i, Curran entered this week leading all NCAA Division I softball players with five triples on the season.

Southern Utah (1-7) suffered a three-game sweep last weekend in a road series against San Diego. The Thunderbirds and `Runners have met seven times with the all-time series dating back to 1991. Two years ago, CSUB fell to SUU, 7-3, in a neutral-site tournament.

Saint Mary's (2-9) returned from UC Davis' Aggies Invitational last weekend with a 1-4 finish. The lone Gaels win came against Idaho State while SMC took a 7-1 loss to CSUB's Western Athletic Conference foe Seattle U. Outfielder Abbey Mariani leads the Gaels with a .400 batting average this year. CSUB and SMC have met 38 times in the all-time series, with the Gaels owning a 24-14 advantage over the `Runners.

Bakersfield will have its first-ever meetings with a pair of teams in Notre Dame and Baylor. The Fighting Irish received votes in this week's Top 25 polls while No. 21/22 Baylor sits among the nation's leaders.

Notre Dame entered the week with a 7-7 record, but the Fighting Irish have faced a challenging schedule thus far. In its first two weeks, UND played eight games against opponents receiving votes or ranked in the Top 25. The Fighting Irish came away with wins against No. 2/3 Washington, No. 17/20 Oklahoma State, and No. 23/RV Ohio State.

Baylor owns a 9-7 record and, much like Notre Dame, has had a strenuous schedule thus far. The Bears took a 4-1 win over No. 9/9 South Carolina to start the season and stole a 4-3 victory from No. 10/11 Louisiana last weekend.

The `Runners suffered a tough loss against Utah State (6-9) to open the Silicon Valley Classic last weekend. The Aggies finished the tournament with a 3-2 record including a pair of run-rule victories and an eight-inning loss to Ball State. CSUB owns a 5-4 record all-time against USU and had won three-straight meetings with the Aggies heading into this season.

Bakersfield will clash with Southern Utah and Saint Mary's on Friday, Mar. 1, to open the Red Desert Classic. On Saturday, the `Runners will take on Notre Dame and Baylor before closing out the weekend with the rematch against Utah State on Sunday.

Links to live stats for all five games are available on the CSUB softball schedule page. Fans can follow along @CSUB_Softball on Twitter (link above) for live updates.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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Players Mentioned

Cydney Curran

#1 Cydney Curran

INF
5' 4"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Cydney Curran

#1 Cydney Curran

5' 4"
Junior
INF
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