California Golden Bears Softball

Cal Softball vs. No.9 Arizona on Pac-12 Networks Friday Gamethread

Bears (20-15) look to snap its current 4 game losing streak.

By Ruey Yen@YRueyYen Apr 11, 2014, 2:30pm PDT

Cal vs. No. 9 Arizona (Levine-Fricke Field \| Berkeley, Calif.)
Day	Date	Time (PT)	Broadcast
Friday	April 11	3 PM	Pac-12 Networks
Saturday	April 12	1 PM	None
Sunday	April 13	12 PM	Pac-12 Networks
Live Stats: CalBears.com
Game Info: Notes \| Twitter (@CalSoftball) \| Instagram (@CalSoftball)

SCOUTING ARIZONA
Arizona sits at or near the top of nearly every offensive category in both the Pac-12 and the NCAA, leading the nation in batting average (.356) and home runs (65). The Wildcats have three regular starters batting above .400 in Kelsey Rodriguez (.434), Kellie Fox (.423) and Hallie Wilson (.402), with another five batting .322 or better. Chelsea Goodacre (.327) ranks second in the nation for home runs with 15, and Arizona has hit nine grand slams in 2014, with five coming in the last 11 games. In the circle, Wildcat pitchers are holding opponents to a 1.94 ERA. Estela Pinon is 11-5 with a 1.97 ERA in 88.2 innings with 81 strikeouts, and Kenzie Fowler is 7-3 with a 2.01 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 59.1 innings.

WHO TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND
Consistency is the name of the game for the Bears right now, and no Bears have been as consistent at the plate as Cheyenne Cordes, Kylie Reed and Danielle Henderson. Cordes currently leads the team with a .431 average and 31 RBIs, topped off by nine homers and nine doubles. Henderson is slugging .728 with 10 long balls on the season, plus 29 RBI for a .379 batting average, and Reed leads the team in hits with 50 in 126 at bats and just two strikeouts. Cal’s pitching staff is again searching for some consistency against the big bats of the Pac-12, and Nisa Ontiveros leads the charge with a 3.61 ERA and 9-6 record in 83.1 innings. Stephanie Trzcinski (5-6), who led the team in ERA after two shutouts and a no-hitter entering last weekend’s ASU series, will seek to get her 3.81 ERA back on track. At 47 strikeouts, Trzcinski is just two shy of tying Katie Sutherland-Finch’s (4.75 ERA, 6-3 record) team-leading 49 Ks.

Consistent pitching has been an issue all season long in year 1 of Cal Softball post Jolene Henderson. Aussie freshman Trzcinski appeared to be the answer but was rocked last weekend by a great Arizona State team. Can she fare better this weekend against a good Arizona squad?

pac-12 softball STANDINGS

Teams	Conf	Overall
OREGON	8-1-0	34-5-0
ARIZONA STATE	10-3-0	36-6-0
UCLA	9-3-0	35-4-0
ARIZONA	7-5-0	32-8-0
CALIFORNIA	3-4-0	20-15-0
WASHINGTON	3-6-0	23-10-0
OREGON STATE	3-7-0	13-20-0
UTAH	3-9-0	16-17-0
STANFORD	1-9-0	24-15-0