Feb. 28, 2013

BERKELEY -

The No. 7/8 California softball team (11-2) faces its most physically challenging weekend slate yet with a pair of doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday at the Easton Invitational in Fullerton, Calif. The Golden Bears meet Northwestern and Cal Polytechnic on Friday along with Indiana and Wisconsin on Saturday.

The team will open the tournament against Northwestern (8-6) at 9 a.m. on Friday, then take a short break before playing Cal Poly (4-10-1) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday's schedule begins with another 9 a.m. game against Indiana (10-5) followed by Wisconsin (10-1) at 11:15 a.m.

THE LAST MEETING Northwestern 1 Cal 5 March 3, 2012 Fullerton, Calif. Bears Claw Northwestern 'Cats 5-1 The No. 1/2 California softball team struck early against Northwestern - scoring four runs in the bottom of the first - to earn a 5-1 victory over the Wildcats, keeping the Golden Bears' record unsullied at 16-0. Recap | Box Score

THE LAST MEETING Cal Poly 1 Cal 4 February 25, 2012 Fenway Field at Big League Dreams Complex - Cathedral City, CA No. 1/3 Bears Overpower Mustangs 4-1 For the first time since opening weekend, the opposition scored first, but it did not matter much to the No. 1/3 California softball team for the Golden Bears came away with the win - a 4-1 victory over Cal Poly on Saturday afternoon. Recap | Box Score

THE LAST MEETING Cal 9   Indiana 1 6 February 10, 2013 Tempe, Ariz. Cal Hammers Hoosiers 9-1 in Six Innings The No. 3/3 University of California softball team (2-2) run ruled Indiana in its final game of the Kajikawa Classic, beating the Hoosiers (1-3) 9-1 in six innings. Recap | Box Score

THE LAST MEETING Cal 3 Wisconsin 1 February 12, 2010 Temps, Ariz. No. 11/12 Bears Rebound With 3-1 Win Over Wisconsin The No. 11/12 California softball team ended the first day of play in 2010 with a 3-1 win against Wisconsin on Friday afternoon at 3-1 at the Kajikawa Classic. The Golden Bears (1-1) defeated the Badgers in Cal's second game of the 2010 campaign. Freshman Lindsey Ziegenhirt got Cal on the board with her second homer of the day and Shannon Thomas and Jolene Henderson had key RBI to further distance the Bears in their win. Recap | Box Score

"The challenge this weekend will be to keep our energy up. With two doubleheaders, it's going to be physically tough," said junior Britt Vonk.

The Bears carry a 10-game win streak into the tournament after starting the season 2-2 in opening weekend and shutting out six opponents to date. At last weekend's Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, the team held opponents to a .141 batting average with just two runs in four games, and seven Golden Bears are batting above .300. Senior ace Jolene Henderson (9-2) is pitching with a 1.19 ERA, allowing no runs against her in her last six games.

"We're having really positive energy. Everyone is confident about the game, so we're going into the weekend with good vibes," Vonk said.

Scouting Cal's Easton Invitational Opponents

Friday, March 1

9 a.m.:           No. 7/8 Cal vs. Northwestern
Series Record versus the Wildcats - 12-9 Cal
Last Meeting with Northwestern - W 5-1 (March 3, 2012)

Northwestern is coming off a 5-0 weekend at the Mary Nutter that included a win against then-No. 4 Tennessee. The Wildcats came from behind in the seventh inning three times and scoring 15 runs in the seventh inning or later. Sophomore Amy Letourneau pitched the full game against Tennessee and held opponents to a .162 batting average in three games, while senior Meghan Lamberth went 2-0 with 0.48 ERA.

1:30 p.m.:        No. 7/8 Cal vs. Cal Polytechnic
Series Record versus the Mustangs - 20-7 Cal
Last Meeting with Cal Poly - W 4-1 (Feb. 25, 2012)

The Mustangs also enter the weekend having defeated a ranked opponent, as Cal Poly beat then-No. 13 Georgia 1-0 on Feb. 22 and allowed just four hits. The team also shut out then-No. 18 Washington on Feb. 16. Of Cal Poly's 10 losses this season, the Mustangs lost by just a single run in six of them.

Saturday, March 2

9 a.m.:             No. 7/8 Cal vs. Indiana
Series Record versus the Hoosiers - 6-0 Cal
Last Meeting with Indiana - W 9-1 (6) (Feb. 10, 2013)

The Hoosiers went 3-2 at last weekend's NFCA Leadoff Classic, beating UMass, James Madison and Fordham while dropping games to UCF and Pacific. The team's game against UCF went into eight innings with UCF scoring a third run to claim victory. Before Indiana's 9-3 loss to Pacific, the pitching staff allowed just four runs with a 0.99 ERA. Indiana's Breanna Saucedo is a batting .524 through four games, while Kassi Farmer leads the team with 13 RBI. California run-ruled the Hoosiers at the Kajikawa Classic in opening weekend.

11:30 a.m.:      No. 7/8 Cal vs. Wisconsin
Series Record versus the Badgers - 9-2 Cal
Last Meeting with Wisconsin - W 3-1(Feb. 12, 2010)

The Badgers marked their best start in program history with six wins at the Diamond 9 Tournament in Florida for a 10-1 season record. Wisconsin pitchers Cassandra Darrah, Meghan McIntosh and Taylor Paige-Stewart combined for a 1.05 ERA throughout the weekend while holding opponents to a .180 batting average. Six Badgers who have played in all 11 games are batting above .300 with Mary Massei leading the team in RBI (17), home runs (4) and doubles (5).

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