By Long Beach State’s softball team remains in the hunt for a share of the Big West Conference title, but they must first sweep UC Santa Barbara and hope Fullerton does the same against Northridge.
The 49ers (25-24, 12-6) will host the Gauchos (19-32, 6-12) on Friday and Saturday at the 49er Softball Complex in the final series of the season.
“We’re just keeping the focus on ourselves,” head coach Kim Sowder said. “[We’re] trying to play good softball and have a good weekend for our seniors.”
The 49ers are riding a three-game winning streak into their final series after sweeping Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. The sweep came thanks to stellar performances from right-hander Christina Clermont and infielder LT Torres.
Clermont contributed by throwing her ninth complete game in a row in an 8-3 win on Sunday, bringing her season total to 17 complete games. The sophomore lowered her earned run average down to 2.30 and improved her record to 18-7.
Torres accumulated five hits in the entire series, one of which was her first-ever collegiate home run; a two-run shot in the fifth inning of LBSU’s 2-1 victory on May 2. The freshman said she was surprised by the homer, but also said she has what it takes to hit more.
“Honestly I didn’t think [the ball] was going out at first,” Torres said. “It was a good feeling and I hope for another one, maybe. I know I’m capable of doing it, it’s just doing it. I think I’ll get stronger.”
Long Beach State notched a different kind of sweep earlier this week when Torres and Clermont each collected Big West Player of the Week awards. It is the first weekly award for Torres and a league-leading fourth for Clermont.
“It’s a great honor to get four [awards], let alone one,” Clermont said. “I’m proud of them, we work hard and those just come with it.”
The Carlsbad native will face a tough UCSB lineup this weekend. Even though the Gauchos are sitting in sixth in runs scored in the Big West, they have the third best batting average (.302) in the conference.
Sophomore outfielder Kristen Clark, the Freshman Player of the Year last season, leads UCSB with 68 hits and a .370 average.
“Offensively, [UCSB] are one of the best in our conference for sure,” Sowder said. “They’ve been playing well recently. They had a couple of wins in Hawaii. Santa Barbara can beat anybody.”
Santa Barbara’s Achilles’ heel has been its pitching staff. The Gauchos’ 5.30 team ERA is last in the Big West. UCSB’s pitchers have given up a league-worst 346 runs on the season compared to just 202 runs scored.
“I’m excited to play [Santa Barbara],” Clermont said. “It’s our last weekend. We’ll go out with a bang.”
The 49ers will wrap up their season against UC Santa Barbara with a doubleheader on Friday and a series finale on Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. on both days at the 49er Softball Complex.
