PACWEST SOFTBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
IRVINE, Calif. -- Hawai`i Hilo won five of its six games last week, including a four-game sweep of Holy Names to move into third place in the conference standings, just three games back of California Baptist. The Vulcans finished their trip to the Bay Area with an 8-3 record to improve to 23-11 this season.
Concordia and California Baptist split its doubleheader as the Lancers took only their second loss of the season. Callie Nunes outdueled Ciara Stapp for a 2-1 victory for the Eagles in the opener, throwing a complete game with 13 strikeouts. Following the split, California Baptist has a four-game lead on the Eagles in the standings.
Dixie State won three of four games against Azusa Pacific, including an 8-0 win in the opener, in which freshman Cambrie Hazel threw a no-hitter. In the next game, Azusa Pacific trailed by as many as 12 runs, but came all the way back for a 21-19 win in the highest scoring game in PacWest history.
The No. 5 Trailblazers also split with Biola, which has now won 29 games this year, ranking second in the West Region in wins. Dixie State completed the homestand with a 4-2 record as it prepares for a roadtrip to the Bay Area.
Academy of Art hosted Chaminade for a four-game series and won three games. In the opener, freshman Brooke Larsen threw a two-hit shutout. She then scored the go-ahead run and recorded a save in the next game.
Holy Names tripled its win total on the season by sweeping Chaminade at home on Friday to improve to 3-23.
No. 24 California Baptist will start next week with a big road test in a Wednesday doubleheader at Biola, starting at 4 p.m. This is the first meeting between the two programs as PacWest opponents and both are coming off of splits last week. The Lancers hold a three-game lead over Biola in the conference standings.
California Baptist will go on to host Azusa Pacific in a doubleheader on Saturday. The Lancers swept Azusa Pacific in the first week of conference play and is looking to do the same in the first of four remaining home doubleheaders.
Dixie State will travel to northern California this week for three doubleheaders. The first will be a non-conference series against Cal State East Bay Pioneers, who are in ninth place in the CCAA. Two days later, the Trailblazers will play at Holy Names, which currently has the longest active winning streak in the conference. Dixie State wraps up the trip with a doubleheader against Dominican.
Hawai`i Hilo returns to the islands this week to take on Hawai`i Pacific, which is currently in seventh place in the conference standings. It is the first half of a four-game series before the Sharks visit Hilo, Hawai`i the following Saturday to complete the series.
On Saturday, Concordia will host Biola at Noon in a battle between two of the six teams that are only separated by four games in the standings. Biola and Concordia are fourth and fifth in the standings, respectively. This is the first meeting between the two newest members of the conference as both look to build on their strong starts to the season.
Concordia will also play Azusa Pacific on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Since Concordia joined the PacWest, Azusa Pacific leads the series 6-2. Academy of Art will play Notre Dame de Namur in a road doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m. The Urban Knights have won 11 of 12 games.
Weekly Awards for the week of March 26-April 1
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Janessa Bassett, Dixie State
OF, Sr., 5-3 -- Stransbury Park, Utah
Bassett recorded hits in all six games last week, going 10 for 16. In the finale against Azusa Pacific, Bassett went 3 for 3 with four runs, three RBIs and a home run. In the doubleheader against Biola, Bassett also recorded a double and a triple. She went 5 for 6 in stolen bases and scored 14 runs in the six games. The senior has scored 48 runs in 29 games this year and has boosted her batting average to .443 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs. This is the second time this year that Bassett has recorded a hitting streak of at least six games.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Cambrie Hazel, Dixie State
RHP, Fr., 5-11 -- Spanish Fork, Utah
Hazel brought her ERA on the season down to 1.18 as she threw 17 innings with just one earned run allowed, striking out 11 as she earned three wins. The freshman improved to 11-2 on the season as she helped the No. 5-ranked Trailblazers win four of six games last week. She started the week with a five-inning no-hitter against Azusa Pacific with four strikeouts. The next day she threw a complete-game for a 7-2 win. On Saturday, Hazel scattered four hits and two walks with no earned runs allowed in a 9-1 victory.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Brooke Larsen, Academy of Art
RHP, Fr., 5-6 -- Sacramento, Calif.
Larsen made three pitching appearances on the week, earning one win and one save on the same day. She opened the day with a two-hit shutout of Chaminade for her PacWest-leading 15th win of the season. Later that day she retired the side in 11 pitches to earn a save after hitting a single and scoring the go-ahead run in the top half of the inning. Offensively, she went 5 for 11 with three RBIs and two doubles to boost her season batting average to .365 with 14 RBIs and 15 runs. Her season ERA of 1.07 ranks second in the conference.