SB: Gaels Set to Play in Long Beach Marriott Invitational
3/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MORAGA, Calif.- After a 13 day break since their last competition, the Saint Mary's softball team will return to action this week and head to Southern California to participate in the Long Beach Marriott Invitational. The Gaels (2-3) will take on Utah State, Long Beach State, and No. 9/10 UCLA from March 12-13 in Lakewood, Calif.
Saint Mary's will open up the Invitational on Saturday, March 12 against Utah State at 9 a.m. The Gaels will then take on Long Beach State on Sunday, March 13 at 1:30 p.m., and close out the weekend against defending national champion UCLA at 3:45 p.m. All games will be played at Mayfair Park in Lakewood, Calif.
There will be live statistics available for the Gaels' games on Sunday. To follow the games live, go to www.SMCGaels.com and click on the stats link on the softball schedule page. Live statistics will not be available for Saturday's game against Utah State.
Saint Mary's enters the week with a 2-3 record after opening the season dropping a doubleheader to Pacific and then going 2-1 in the 2011 PCSC Crossover Tournament in their last time out. The Gaels are hitting .218 as a team and have three players hitting over .300 in freshman Brittany Sabatini (.400), senior Tiffany Gonzales (.313), and junior Michelle Mounts (.308). The pitching staff is holding opponents to a .284 batting average and is led by junior Britany Linton who is 2-1 this season and has a 2.62 ERA.
Utah State enters the weekend with a 5-14 record, including a 2-10 record at neutral sites. The Aggies have wins against North Dakota State, UNLV, CS Northridge, and two over CS Bakersfield. Utah State is hitting .268 as a team, while the Aggies have five players hitting over .300 in Kelly Kaneshiro (.341), Kassandra Uchida (.341), Krista Bava (.318), Joreigh Landers (.314), and Ashley Ventura (.309). The Utah State pitching staff is led by Mandy Harmon who is 4-10 on the year and has a 5.92 ERA in 15 appearances.
Saturday's game will mark the eighth time these two programs have met, with Utah State owning a 4-3 record over the Gaels. The last time these two teams met was on March 19, 2004 in Honolulu, Hawaii, with SMC earning a 2-0 win in the Paradise Classic.
Long Beach State enters the Invitational with a 13-6 record, including going 4-0 at home so far this season. The 49ers are lead by Nalani St. Germain who is hitting .400 (20-for-50) with two doubles, four home runs, and 13 RBI. Long Beach State is hitting .282 as a team for the season, while they have three other players hitting over .300. Leading the 49ers on the mound is Erin Wesley-Jones who is 6-2 on the year with a 1.60 ERA, and recently threw her first career no-hitter against No. 21 Baylor on March 5. Wesley-Jones is holding opponents to a .187 batting average in 57.0 innings pitched.
Sunday's game between the Gaels and the 49ers is the seventh matchup between the two programs, with LBSU holding a 5-1 series lead over SMC. The last time these two teams played was in the Aztec Invite in San Diego, Calif. on February 5, 2005, with the Beach defeating the Gaels 8-1.
The defending national champion and ninth-ranked Bruins come into this weeks' Invitational with a 16-4 record, including 9-4 at neutral sites, and have won five of their last six games. UCLA is led at the plate by Alyssa Tiumalu who is hitting .463 on the season, while Kellie Fox leads the team with 26 hits and 21 RBI and has also added five home runs. The Bruin pitching staff is holding opponents to a .202 batting average and has a 1.75 ERA as a staff. Jessica Hall leads the team with 15 appearances, holding a 10-2 record with a 2.05 ERA in 78.2 innings pitched.
The Gaels are 0-11 against the Bruins all-time, including an 11-4 loss last season in the Los Angeles Regional on May 21, 2010. UCLA is also 2-0 against Saint Mary's in neutral site games.
Without any games last week, the last time the Gaels took the field was February 26-27 in the rain-hindered 2011 PCSC Crossover Tournament. After rain cancelled all games on the scheduled first day, SMC did get in a few games in the tournament and went 2-1 on the weekend. The Gaels topped Idaho State 6-3 on Saturday, February 26 behind a complete game seven-strikeout performance by junior pitcher Britany Linton. SMC then defeated Weber State 5-2 to open the second day, before falling to Portland State 3-0 in the final game of the tournament.
Following the Long Beach Marriott Invitational, the Gaels will play nine games in six days beginning on Tuesday, March 15. SMC will host a pair of doubleheaders against New Mexico (March 15) and Drake (March 16) to begin the week. The Gaels will then travel to Reno, Nev. to play five games in the Nevada Silver and Blue Classic, taking on Idaho State, Nevada, and Northern Illinois from March 18-20.
SB | Highlights at LMU, 5-10-25 G2
Saturday, May 10
SB | Highlights at LMU, 5-10-25 G1
Saturday, May 10
SB | Highlights at LMU, 5-9-25
Friday, May 09
SB | Highlights vs San Diego, 5-4-25
Sunday, May 04
