CHICAGO (March 9, 2023) - The Ramblers (4-14) are back in action this weekend with an adjusted three-game tournament. Loyola Chicago softball heads to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California. While there, the Ramblers will play Saint Mary's twice, and the host Cal Poly once. Saturday play opens with Saint Mary's at 12 p.m. followed by Cal Poly at 5 p.m. Sunday will feature one game with the Gaels at 9:30 a.m. Live stats can be followed at gopoly.com.
The Ramblers look to gain momentum following last weekend's 1-3 performance at the Saluki Invite. While in Illinois, Loyola Chicago shutout Butler 7-0 for its fourth win of the season. Peyton Pepkowski tossed the program's seventh no-hitter, which is also the program's first seven-inning no-hitter since the 2012 season. Her performance earned Pepkowski the A-10 Pitcher of the Week accolade. The shutout against the Bulldogs marked the second this season for the Ramblers, who are now tied first in the conference in shutouts.
Amelia Thomas continues to lead the Ramblers at the plate hitting .333 this season. Thomas has 16 hits to tie for fifth in the A-10. Thomas also ranks ninth in on-base percentage (.444). Madison Ebeling is a force on the base path for Loyola. She has a team-leading seven stolen bases, ranking fourth in the league. She also has a team-best nine runs scored, which is good enough for sixth overall in the conference.
In the circle, Pepkowski continues to step up for the Ramblers. She sits at 4-4 this year with a 4.09 ERA. Pepkowski has both the team's shutouts and has retired 42 batters over 50.2 innings of work. She ranks second in the league in innings pitched and wins. She is third in strikeouts. Pepkowski holds her opponents to .213 at the plate, which is fifth best in the A-10.
Scouting Saint Mary's
The Gaels are 6-13 overall heading into this weekend's action in California. Saint Mary's went 2-3 at last week's Capitol Classic hosted by Sacramento State. The Gaels picked up wins against Southern Utah (3-0) and Siena (2-1). As a team, the Gaels are hitting .233 on the year with 113 total hits. Thirteen of those are doubles, while the team has three triples and two homers. Taylor Lane is the lone Gael above .300 hitting .352. She has a team-leading 19 hits and adds four runs and six RBI. In the circle, Kailey O'Connor has made 11 appearances and seven starts to post a 3-5 record. She leads the Gaels with a 3.25 ERA over 51.2 innings of work. She has 26 strikeouts and pitched three complete games this season.
All-Time Series: This marks the first ever meeting between the Ramblers and Gaels.
Scouting Cal Poly
The Mustangs enter the weekend 7-8 overall and have dropped their last four games. Last week, in the Judi Garman Classic, Cal Poly opened with a 5-1 win against Fresno State before falling to No. 20 Oregon, No. 2 UCLA, No. 15 LSU, and San Jose State. As a squad, the Mustangs are hitting .257 and have three players above .300 at the plate. Julia Barnett is the team-leader, hitting .372 this season. Over 15 games, she has 16 hits, including a double and home run. She adds seven runs and six RBI. Sophia Ramuno has made 11 appearances in the circle to lead the Mustangs. Ramuno is 5-4 with a 4.65 ERA and 53 strikeouts. She has pitched three complete games and a total of 52.2 innings.
All-Time Series: This marks the first ever meeting between the Ramblers and Mustangs.
Up Next
The Ramblers open A-10 play next week at George Mason. The teams will play a double-header on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m., followed by a single game on Sunday at 11 a.m.
