CHICO – Some say momentum is overrated; a cliché sports term that downplays what actually makes a team a winner. But one thing that can’t be debated is that the Chico State softball team is currently riding a three game winning streak, highlighted by an exciting 11-inning, 3-2 series-ending victory last Sunday against Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Wildcats look to build on the momentum built up in the Toros series this Friday with a non-conference doubleheader against Oregon Tech. The first game of the twinbill is scheduled to start at noon at University Softball Field.
The Wildcats, 8-6 on the season and tied for fifth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 6-6 conference mark, hopes a good showing in their doubleheader against the Hustlin’ Owls team will keep the team’s winning atmosphere intact heading back into conference play against Humboldt State March 12-13 in Arcata.
Chico State enters the weekend ranked fifth in the CCAA with a .268 team batting average, averaging just under four runs a ballgame. The Wildcat pitching staff has posted a collective 3.70 earned run average through the team’s first 14 games, and is fourth in the conference in strikeouts with 57. Chico State also boasts the reigning CCAA Player and Pitcher of the Week – Bec Johnson earned Player of the Week honors by going 7-for-14, driving in four runs, scoring four times, and stealing three bases last weekend versus Cal State Dominguez Hills, while lefthander Caitlin Bryne notched two wins in three relief appearances to nab the conference’s top pitching prize.
Oregon Tech, Chico State’s Friday opponent, is an NAIA school that has split its 16 games this season. Speaking of momentum, the Hustlin’ Owls have won three of their last four ballgames, including a 10-1 thumping last Saturday in the finale of the Southern Oregon Softball Tournament. The doubleheader against the Wildcats is the first of four challenges Oregon Tech faces on its road swing through California, as they also take on Patten, Academy of Art and William Jessup University. The Hustlin’ Owls begin Cascade Conference play March 19 against The College of Idaho.
All-time, Chico State has beaten Oregon Tech in eight of their 12 meetings. In fact, the Wildcats have not lost to the Hustlin’ Owls since April 3, 1997.
