Big Green Conclude West Coast Trip with California Tournament

UCLA-UC Riverside Tournament

Friday, March 24 vs. BYU – 3 p.m.
Friday, March 24 vs. BYU – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 25 vs. University of the Pacific – 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 25 vs. UC Riverside – 5 p.m.
Sunday, March 26 vs. No. 15 UCLA – 1 p.m.
*All times are EST

THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES
The Dartmouth softball team will wrap up its west coast trip with five games in the Golden State this weekend.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
BYU heads into this weekend on a six-game winning streak, as the Cougars have won 11 of their last 13 games. Most recently, BYU swept Maine in Wagner in a four-game homestand in Provo, which included an 8-0 victory in five innings against the Black Bears. The Cougars' high-powered offense is led by Lexi Tarrow, who leads the team with 26 hits, batting .426 in 61 plate appearances. Libby Sugg is also a threat at the dish with a team-high five home runs and 25 RBIs. In the circle McKenna Bull is 13-2 with a 1.98 ERA and has hurled 10 complete games.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Pacific has seen many ups and downs to its season thus far, entering the weekend with a 12-16 mark. The Tigers are currently on a five-game losing streak, having dropped a pair of games to No. 8 Minnesota as well as contests to Lehigh and UMass. Hailey Reed leads her team with 24 hits and has seen action in 27 of 28 games this season. Reed has also found success in the circle posting a team-best 1.27 ERA with four wins and one save. Meanwhile Sydney Lahners has recorded a team-high 19 RBIs.

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside (14-9) has hit its stride after a slow start to the season. The Highlanders have won five consecutive games, including a sweep of Quinnipiac, outscoring the Bobcats by a 17-8 margin in the double header. Hannah Rodriguez leads her team with 25 hits, starting all 22 games played. Hayley Harris has also been solid at the plate with 18 RBIs. UC Riverside's top pitcher, Anessa Cepeda is undefeated in the circle (6-0) with a team-best ERA of 1.08 in 11 appearances.

SCOUTING THE BRUINS
PAC 12 foe, UCLA enters the weekend at 21-8, ranked No. 15 in the most recent USA Today/NFCA Poll. The Bruins had a five-game win streak snapped last weekend by dropping three straight to No. 20 Utah at home at Easton Stadium and were outscored 13-3 in the trio of contests. Overall, UCLA has had some trouble against nationally ranked opponents going 5-8 so far in 2017. Kylee Persez has put up some impressive numbers at the dish, leading the Bruins with 42 hits in 94 at bats, which includes 11 doubles. UCLA has three pitchers on its roster with seven wins, including Selina Ta'amilo, who is undefeated in 10 appearances with a 1.06 ERA.

THREE STRIKES AND YOU'RE OUT
Dartmouth junior Breanna Ethridge has found success in the circle this season. The Loganville, Georgia native is second in the Ivy League in strikeouts, having fanned 35 batters in 11 appearances. She also leads the Big Green with five complete games and 54 innings of work.

S-E-C, S-E-C, S-E-C
All three members of the Dartmouth coaching staff have ties to the Southeastern Conference. Doepking played four seasons at Tennessee, helping the Lady Vols to an impressive 246-46 (.842) record from 2005-08, she also played in three consecutive Women's College World Series from 2005-07. Returning for her third season in Hanover is Molly Fichtner who graduated from Alabama in 2014. As a catcher for the Crimson Tide, Fichtner appeared in 102 games, starting 88. As a senior Fichtner reached the Women's College World Series and was named to the All-SEC Second Team. Joining the staff this year is Jackie Traina, who also is an Alabama graduate and former teammate of Fichtner. In 2012, Traina helped the Crimson Tide win its first National Championship, earning Women's College World Series MVP honors. Traina was also a member of the USA National Team in 2012, 2014 and 2015, where she won a gold medal at the World Cup of Softball in 2015.

ILDN
All of Dartmouth's home games in 2017 will be broadcast live in high definition on the Ivy League Digital Network with Brett Franklin on the call. Fans can sign up for the conference's video streaming and on-demand content to follow the Big Green all spring. Ivy League road games (when available) will also be broadcast.

FOLLOW ALONG
Can't make it to the games? DartmouthSports.com will provide live stats for those looking to follow along during the contests.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Big Green will return to the Northeast for the start of Ivy League play when Dartmouth visits Columbia on March 31 and Penn on April 1 for doubleheaders.

Schedules