April 13, 2012

LOS ANGELES - LMU softball returns to Smith Field for the final time this season, hosting Pacific Coast Softball Conference foe Sacramento State in a key four-game series on Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15. First pitch each day is scheduled for 10 a.m. Live stats and live audio will be available for all four games at LMULions.com.

FAREWELL SENIORS
LMU seniors Kylie Ahlo, Sam Fischer, Brittany Pereda and Kelly Sarginson will be playing in their final games at Smith Field this weekend. The quartet will be honored in a brief ceremony prior to the first pitch of Sunday's doubleheader.

INSIDE THE LIONS
For the second consecutive weekend of PCSC play, the Lions drew a 2-2 series split, this time at Cal State Bakersfield. LMU dropped both ends of Saturday's doubleheader, 7-6 and 9-3, before bouncing back on Sunday with 9-4 and 5-0 wins. Sam Fischer collected three home runs in the series, including a game-winning grand slam, bringing her season total to 18. That mark ties the LMU single-season record set by classmate Kelly Sarginson in 2011. Sarginson had a pair of home runs herself against the Roadrunners, bringing her season total to eight. Dana Waldusky earned her fourth shutout of the season in the series final, tossing a complete-game one-hitter.

Fischer continues her offensive tear and ranks among the top hitters in the nation. In games played through April 8, Fischer ranks second among all NCAA Division I players in batting average (.514), slugging percentage (1.144) and on-base percentage (.635), third in home runs (18), fourth in home runs per game (0.44) and 10th in RBIs per game (1.22). Also ranked among the nation's top 10 is Dana Waldusky, who comes in at No. 6 in walks allowed per seven innings (0.87).

THE HORNETS
Sacramento State enters the weekend series with a 21-13 overall record and 4-3 mark in PCSC play. The Hornets are coming off a four-game sweep of Santa Clara after having dropped three straight to Saint Mary's. Marissa Navarro paces five players batting over .300 with her .359 average. She leads the team with 37 hits, 32 RBIs and six home runs. The Hornets hit .275 as a team while their opponents hold a .259 batting average. Sac State's three pitchers combine to carry a 3.16 ERA. Taylor Stroud leads the way with a 2.62 ERA and 10-5 record. In 88 innings Stroud has 51 strikeouts and just 16 walks. Shelby Voelz is 6-3 with a 2.90 ERA and Caitlin Brooks is 5-5 with a 4.16 ERA.

HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH SACRAMENTO STATE
The Lions hold a slight 22-18 edge in the all-time series with Sac State. The Hornets have had the bulk of success in recent years however, as LMU suffered 10 straight losses until snapping that streak with a 5-4 win in the final game of last year's four-game series. Prior to that, LMU's last win over the Hornets came in the 2009 season.

-GOLIONS-