HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team (1-3) is gearing up for seven contests in five days, including this weekend's six-team Loyola Marymount University/Muscle Milk Softball Invitational. All games will take place at Smith Field in Los Angeles, Calif.
First up are two non-tournament contests against Iona (2-9) and the hosting Lions (12-19) on Tuesday, March 17.
The Knights' schedule follows with Harvard (3-9) on Thursday and Friday, the University of California Riverside (23-7) on Friday and Saturday, and Seattle University (9-17) on Saturday afternoon.
Last Time OutThe Knights played just one contest this past weekend due to field and weather conditions, an 8-4 come-from-behind victory at Manhattan College thanks to
Madison Lerma (Escondido, Calif./Escondido)'s go-ahead grand slam in the top of the seventh. Seven of FDU's first eight batters in that frame reached base including five straight hits, four singles and Lerma's second round-tripper of the season. Reiner and the Knights picked up their first win with the former going the distance again and allowing just four hits but 10 walks to match her 10 strikeouts. In fact, Reiner's last eight outs all came via strikeout.
Iona2014 Season: 2-9
Where: Los Angeles, Calif. (Smith Field)
When: March 17, 2015 – 1:00 p.m.
What You Need To Know: The Gaels, MAAC champions in four of the last five years, went 1-4 during last weekend's CSU Northridge Tournament, featuring fellow Northeast Conference foe Bryant, with the lone win at 6-4 victory over the University of Buffalo. Iona's two wins have been by two and three runs. Sarah Schutz and Brianna Schauer both hit over .300 (.382 and .355 respectively) and own three of the team's four home runs between them. Schutz has two bombs and Schauer leads the team with seven RBI. The Gaels struggle on the mound with 66 team walks to just 17 strikeouts.
Loyola Marymount2014 Season: 12-19
Where: Los Angeles, Calif. (Smith Field)
When: March 17, 2015 – 5:00 p.m.
What You Need To Know: Since the calendar turned to March, the Lions are 7-7 after the first two weeks. The team has already accrued 22 home runs on the season and have five players with at least 10 RBI, including last year's All-WCC First Team selection Stephanie Maciel, who also leads the team with five home runs. Amanda Dirks, 2014 All-WCC Second Team honoree Alex Finie, and Alicia Brown each have three home runs and bat over .300. Dirks also is a prefect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts. Rachael Ferrington has already thrown 102.2 innings and owns an 8-9 record over 24 appearances and 10 complete games. Head Coach Gary Ferrin is by far the winningest coach in team history with 679 wins over 20 seasons and three Coach of the Year awards when the school was a part of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference up until 2013. Five players earned All-WCC honors last season but just the two aforementioned honorees remain.
Harvard2014 Season: 3-9
Where: Los Angeles, Calif. (Smith Field)
When: March 19 at 5 p.m. and March 20 at 2 p.m.
What You Need To Know: The Crimson started the campaign off with two victories over Wichita State and Villanova in the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational but have since endured a 1-9 stretch. The team is led by Katherine Appelbe's .400 average in 30 at-bats with just one strikeout. No other starter owns an average above .300 although both Haley Davis and Katherine Lantz have two home runs apiece. The team does like to run on the bases – with 21 stolen bases in 12 games. On the mound, Taylor Cabe and Laura Ricciardone have started 10 of the team's games. Cabe owns a 3.28 ERA with a stellar four walks in 32 innings. Ricciardone has been consistent with a 4.32 ERA in 22.2 innings.
UC Riverside2014 Season: 23-7
Where: Los Angeles, Calif. (Smith Field)
When: March 20 at 4 p.m. and March 21 at 12 p.m.
What You Need To Know: The Highlanders had strung together seven straight wins before a loss against Weber State in their final game of their own Highlander Classic. In fact, UC Riverside started the tournament off with a loss against Howard before those seven straight wins, one of which came against Loyola Marymount and two against NEC foe Bryant. Extending their recent streak, the Highlanders are 17-3 dating back to the start of the Amy S. Harrison Classic on Feb. 20. At the plate, UC Riverside has seven starters batting .290 or better with both Jenna Curtan and Haley Harris sitting at .370 each. Just two players typically provide the power – Rebecca Faulkner's team-leading five home runs and Natalie Sanchez's four. The two unsurprisingly pace the team with 24 and 16 RBIs, respectively. The team is active on the basepaths with 28 steals, 16 of which comes from Curtan and Harris. On the bump, Chelsea Ponce and Tayler Misfeldt have been fantastic. Ponce is 16-3 with a 1.28 ERA over 114.2 innings, while Misfeldt owns a sharp 2.12 ERA in 11 appearances. Ponce has been one of the country's top pitchers. Head Coach Linda Garza, in her third season, has enjoyed great success this year after last year's 23-31 record and eighth place conference finish.
Seattle2014 Season: 9-17
Where: Los Angeles, Calif. (Smith Field)
When: March 21, 2015 – 4:00 p.m.
What You Need To Know: The Knights close out their stay in Los Angeles against the Redhawks, who own a 9-17 record after five tournaments to start the season and three home contests. Bubba Morrow, a senior, paces the team with six home runs, 18 RBIs, and a .356 average in 26 starts. Three others join her in batting over .290. Isabella Geronimo walks at a high clip and leads the team with eight steals. Potentially facing FDU in the circle is Mandie Sugita, an owner of a 2.79 ERA and 6-4 record in 16 appearances.
Up NextThe Knights travel to Rider the following weekend for a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 25. Three days later, Northeast Conference play begins at Wagner.
