Softball struggles over spring break

After getting off to a hot start in the hitting department this season, the Cal State Long Beach softball team is cooling off. The 49ers had a 3-4-1 record over spring break, and the team was shut out three times while scoring just one run in another game.

The only offensive outbursts the 49ers had were in a 7-6 win over New Mexico State and a 4-0 victory over Cal State Fullerton. CSULB split a doubleheader with New Mexico State on March 21 (losing 3-1 and winning 7-6), then last Tuesday had a loss and a tie against Stanford (losing 1-0 and tying 2-2 in a game called by darkness).

Last Wednesday the 49ers split a doubleheader with Tennessee (winning 2-0 and losing 1-0), and then split with Cal State Fullerton last Saturday (losing 1-0 and then winning 4-0).

The 49ers are now 25-12-1 overall and 7-5 in the Big West Conference.

The 49ers' team batting average dipped to .258, which is lower than the .263 average the team had last season. But 49ers coach Pete Manarino isn't worried.

"When you play 62 games, you're not going to hit well every game," Manarino said. "I think we just have to focus more and be more consistent."

"The 7-5 conference record isn't a problem either, " Manarino said.

"Last year at this time we were 8-4 in conference and went on to win it," he said. "I think we still have a good shot at winning the conference. We just need to play hard and play as a team."

In the second game last Saturday against Cal State Fullerton, Tammy Dietrich took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, but the Titans'Jana Oetgen singled to lead off the inning.

It was the second time this season Dietrich took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. She still finished up the shutout, winning 4-0 to improve her record to 13-7 this season, with a 1.28 earned-run average.

Amy Miner pitched two games in the past week, going 1-1. She defeated Tennessee, 2-0, and lost to Cal State Fullerton, 1-0. Her record for the season is now 8-4, with a 0.95 ERA.

As a team, CSULB is allowing only 1.31 earned runs per game. But the hitting slump is keeping the 49ers from making a run on first place in the Big West.

"We're just not hitting the ball particularly well right now," Manarino said. "Some of it is bad luck, hitting the ball right at people, some of it is having runners in scoring position and not driving them in. Maybe we're pressing a little right now, but there's no reason to. We're a good team, and we're going to be fine."