BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Cal State Bakersfield softball team came out on the UNLV Desert Classic going to 2-3. Despite losing three of the five games, the Roadrunners have a lot to be encouraged about. Junior pitcher, Brianna Sanchez is proving herself to be the team's ace, and two-way player, Reina Castillo's bat is becoming a crucial part of this lineup. Bakersfield is set to play seven games over the next four days, two against New Mexico, then off to the UTEP/NMSU Invitational. 
 
Upcoming Schedule 

·       at New Mexico (DH) 

·       Feb. 23 

·       Albuquerque, NM 
 

·       at UTEP/NMSU Invitational 

·       Feb. 24-26 

·       El Paso, TX & Las Cruces, NM 

·       Opponents: Tarleton State, UTEP, #4 Oklahoma State, Nebraska, NM State 

How to Follow the `Runners 

·       Most of this weekend's games can be watched live while all of them will have live stats available. 

·       Links for video, live stats, tickets, and more are available at GoRunners.com/Live. 
 

`Runner Notes 

·       Bakersfield left Las Vegas with two wins under their belts, beating Montana twice. The `Runners lost games versus UNLV (twice), and Hawai'i, a fellow Big West opponent. The final game versus UNLV was a close one in which the Rebels managed a walk-off in the bottom of the seventh inning. 

·       Throughout the weekend the `Runners bats were coming alive, scoring 20 runs in five games. Cal State Bakersfield also saw great pitching performances from Sanchez. She appeared in three games going 22.2 innings and allowing seven runs, which was good for a 2.31 ERA over the weekend. 

·       Castillo is currently on a five-game hitting streak, racking up six hits in the UNLV Desert Classic. She is batting a team-high .320 on the season heading into this weekend and looking to stay hot.  

Scouting the Opposition 

·       The first two games of this packed weekend start with New Mexico (3-5). This season, three of the Lobos' five losses have come from #19 Oregon State, and #25 LSU. New Mexico outfielder, Keyannah Chavez, was named Mountain West Freshman of the Week after hitting .556 with a .778 slugging percentage, a team-high .600 on-base percentage, team-high five hits, team-high two doubles and finished with two RBI last week. 

·       Tarleton State (9-3) finished fourth in the WAC standings last season, posting a 14-10 conference record, while going 30-25 overall. The Texans are currently on a nine-game winning streak after dropping the first three, two versus Texas A&M and Michigan State.

·       UTEP (4-5) finished the 2022 season 15-34. The Miners are currently 1-4 over their last five, but three of those four losses were by three runs or less.  

·       #4 Oklahoma State (8-1) finished last season going 48-14, losing to Texas in the College World Series. The Cowgirls feature a high-powered offense winning games via the run rule in four of their last five games.  

·       Nebraska comes into this tournament with a 5-5 record. The Huskers finished 2022 with a 41-16 record. The Huskers' season came to an end after reaching the Regionals, losing to Oklahoma State and North Texas.  

·       The final game of the weekend comes against NM State (5-4), who finished 2022 at 13-38. The Aggies went 2-3 in the I-35 Classic last weekend. 

~GoRunners.com~