Softball Stays On The Road For UC Riverside Series

Saturday, April 6

Riverside, Calif.

1 p.m.

Long Beach State University

UC Riverside

Photo by: John Fajardo

4/3/2019 2:05:00 PM | Softball

Week 9 - UC Riverside

Long Beach State continues Big West play on Saturday.

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State continues conference play on the road this weekend, traveling to UC Riverside for a three-game series. The Beach will play a doubleheader with the Highlanders on Saturday before closing the series with a Sunday matinee at 1 p.m.

LEADING OFF
• UC Riverside closed non-conference play on a 12-game winning streak, and while that was snapped in their first game against Cal Poly, the Highlanders bounced back to win a pair of games against the Mustangs in their first conference series.

• On the road for the first weekend of conference play, Long Beach State took a 5-2 win in the second game at Hawai'i on the strength of a complete game from Kellie White and a pair of hits each from Lauren Lombardi and Nichole Fry, but LBSU lost the series on the road to the Rainbow Wahine in the first weekend of conference play.

• Lauren Lombardi had an excellent weekend at Hawai'i. The senior hit .571 with a walk while getting her latest opportunity at the plate. Lombardi has missed the majority of the last three seasons with a variety of injuries but is making the most of her time lately in 2019.

• Senior Nichole Fry returns for her fourth season as a starter at shortstop and catalyst at the top of the order for the Beach. She was one of 50 players selected to the preseason USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year watch list, highlighting her importance for LBSU. The senior was a first-team All-Big West selection in 2018.

• Fry has been consistent and productive for the Beach through her career. She is well-placed to finish her career ranked in Long Beach State's Top 10 in eight different categories. In addition to being on track to be Long Beach State's 10th career .300 hitter, Fry ranks in the Top ten in triples, home runs, RBI and hits and can easily finish her career with the most doubles and runs scored in school history.

• Missing the first seven games of the season with injury, Fry came through in the clutch in LBSU's win over Oregon State. In extra innings, Fry's first hit of the season was a two-run walkoff home run in a 6-4 win over the Beavers. Fry also played a role in all eight of LBSU's runs in a win over #24 North Carolina, scoring three and driving in five RBI in the win.

• Senior Jamie Wren has been outstanding in 2019. Opening the season hitting .421 with 13 RBI in Las Vegas, Wren has hit a pair of grand slams in her team-leading five home runs, and is leading the team in batting at .362, in slugging at .619 and RBI with 32 along with scoring 24 runs on the season. The senior has started every game this season in left field.

• Sophomore Alyssa Gonzalez tied a pair of school records against Boston, smashing a pair of home runs while knocking in seven RBI. The transfer from Ole Miss is now batting .344 and has 28 RBI, second on the team in both categories with seven doubles and four home runs on the year.

PLAYER NOTES
• Junior Sydney McCollum has also given Long Beach State a lift. The junior college transfer is fourth on the team in batting at .341, hitting eight doubles as well as leading the team with four stolen bases on the year. McCollum has also played multiple positions defensively, making just two errors in the infield.

• Long Beach State's other big bat in the middle of the lineup, Tierra Falo is hitting .297 on the season while starting 24 games with nine walks on the year. Falo now has 12 career home runs as well as 75 RBI in her career at the Beach.

• Naomi Hernandez returns for the Beach following a tremendous first season that saw the outfielder earn Big West Freshman Player of the Year honors. Starting every game in 2019, Hernandez continued a hitting streak that ended at 15 games, the fourth-longest in school history, and is batting .277 with a team-leading 18 walks with an OBP of .392.

• Sophomore Justine Briones has been a steady presence for the Beach, starting 29 of 32 games behind the plate and hitting .246 with a pair of home runs. Additionally, her defense has been excellent, throwing out ten potential base-stealers while making just two errors on the season.

• Katelyn Hanson returned from an early-season injury and has now started 21 games for Long Beach State, hitting .265 with a four doubles and a home run with nine RBI.

• Ashley Coleman is leading Long Beach State in appearances following her return to competitive softball. The Cal Baptist transfer has started 15 games for the Beach with seven complete games. Leading the team with eight wins, the junior has lowered her ERA to 2.95 and is holding batters to .229 hitting.

• Kellie White has been the other arm in the circle for the Beach, striking out nine in her first start against North Dakota. In 17 appearances, White leads the team with 58 strikeouts and is second in innings pitched at 77.0, seeing time in the circle in all three games at Hawai'i.

• Junior Devyn Magnett returns to the circle after a ten-win season for the Beach in 2018, and is second on the team with a 3.04 ERA in 11 appearances.

• Two freshmen have also played their part in the circle for the Beach this season. Samantha Fowler made an impression against Hawai'i, retiring 12 straight batters with a career-high five strikeouts and has now thrown 16.2 innings with 12 Ks. Presley Miraglia has also had four appearances, totaling 6.0 innings pitched on the year.

• Returning for her junior season, Taylor Rowland became the fifth player in school history to be recognized as an All-American in 2018, and the first since Brooke Turner in 2008. A season ago, Rowland set a new LBSU single-season record with 58 RBI, and has 11 this season, with five doubles and a home run. The junior missed seven games due to injury, however, and is just now returning to action.

• Long Beach State has had a trio of players vying for time in center field in Breezy Wise, Maddy Ruffin and Kasey Hutton. Combined, the group has 20 hits and 14 RBI on the year.