Softball Begins Road Stint at Hawaii

RIVERSIDE, Calif.—The UC Riverside Softball Team (23-19, 5-7) begins a six game road stint this weekend as the Highlanders head to the island of O'ahu to take on the host Hawaii Rainbow Wahine (27-13, 8-4). Both teams will be looking to bounce back after dropping all three games in their previous series.

HAWAII SERIES SCHEDULE
Game 1 - Friday, April 26th @ 9PM
Game 2 - Saturday, April 27th @ 5PM
Game 3 - Saturday, April 27th @ 7PM
*All times in PST*

MEL THROWING WELL
Junior pitcher Melanie Olmos was on a tear to kick off conference play collecting three wins in her first four Big West starts including, a big win over Cal Poly and a pair of victories at CSUN. In conference play, she has posted an ERA of 1.60, which ranks fifth in the Big West as do her three wins. She has allowed just two earned runs in her last four starts.

ON THE ATTACK
UC Riverside has performed well at the plate this year at the Highlanders' .277 team batting average ranks fourth in the Big West and their .364 team OBP is good for third. The team has also put runs on the board in 36 of its 41 games.

D-MONEY
Junior outfielder Danielle Ortega has been incredible with the bat in her junior year as her .391 batting average leads the team and ranks fifth in the Big West. She also leads the team with an incredible .496 OBP, getting on base nearly half of time, which is good for third in conference. Her seven stolen bases rank fifth.

BOLES IN THE CIRCLE
Junior Jacy Boles has already put together a career season this year posting a 10-5 record, a team best 3.67 ERA and a team high 86 strikeouts, which ranks fourth in the Big West. Hitters have struggled to get on base against Boles hitting just .251, which ranks eighth in conference. She also leads the conference with four saves on the year.

VETE-RUNS
The Highlanders veterans have set the tone on the base paths so far this year as juniors Danielle Ortega, Emma Ramelot, and senior Brittney Garcia have combined for 85 runs this year. Ramelot and Ortega lead the way with 31, which ranks sixth in conference.

WHEELS
The Highlanders have been successful when gambling on the base paths this year stealing 33 bases in just 38 attempts, which is the third most in the Big West. In return they have hosed eight runners of their own on the defensive end.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
The Highlanders have already collected five Big West Weekly honors this season:

Haley Marschall - Big West Pitcher of the Week (Feb 21st)
Haylee Kela - Big West Freshman of the Week (Mar 11th)
Jacy Boles - Big West Pitcher of the Week (Mar 11th)
Brittney Garcia - Big West Field Player fo the Week (Mar 18th)
Danielle Ortega - Big West Field Player fo the Week (Mar 25th)

R'HOUSE
The Highlanders have played exceptionally well at Amy S. Harrison Field posting 16 of their 23 wins at home.