LA JOLLA, Calif. - Once the dust clears from a finals week full of library visits and intense test preparations, the UC San Diego softball team will host Cal State San Marcos in a non-conference doubleheader Sunday starting at 12 p.m.
The Tritons, coming off a series sweep at home over Cal State Stanislaus, now hold a seven-game winning streak that bumped their season record to 17-9. Third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings with a 13-7 league mark, UCSD will return to conference play April 2 with a home series against Cal State Dominguez Hills.
The Tritons' pitching staff, featuring Camille Gaito, Christine Zankich, Tess Granath and Brittany Sheats, has recorded the CCAA's lowest earned run average (1.62) through the early stages of the season. Leading the way is Gaito, who earned the conference's Pitcher of the Week award because of the performances last week in wins over Dixie State and CSUS. Gaito logged 19.1 innings while allowing just two earned runs and striking out 21 batters.
Leading UCSD's offense are junior Kris Lesovsky and senior Nicole Saari. All four of Lesovsky's homeruns this season have come in the last nine games and the All-American centerfielder holds a league-best batting average of .469. Saari, a top defensive catcher, has produced stellar numbers while batting out of the No. 3 position in the order recently. The Roseville native, having played 26 games so far this season, now has 20 runs batted in.
The Cougars of CSUSM, the Tritons' National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) opponent on Sunday, is also playing some of its best ball at the moment. The team has rattled off six straight wins, including a big pair of victories at home over Biola University last Friday. Pitcher Brenna Sandberg is leading the NAIA in wins with 13, and first baseman Alyssa Dronenburg ranks in the top-10 nationally in home runs (8), slugging percentage (1.077) and total bases (56).
Following the doubleheader with CSUSM, the Tritons will begin preparations for the Mizuno Tournament of Champions to be held from March 26-28 in Turlock, Calif.
