Desiree’ Gonzalez is a fixture in the middle of the Chico State softball lineup, and for good reason. The sophomore first baseman has proven she can provide plenty of power and a torrent of run production at any time, and last weekend at the Tournament of Champions she reached a whole new level. In the Wildcats’ first six games, Gonzalez clubbed five home runs and drove in 16 runs – both feats tying tournament records – while raising her season batting average 56 points in just three days. Her dominating performance at the dish makes Gonzalez the latest Wildcat of the Week.
Gonzalez batted .545 (12-for-22) with six extra-base hits while posting a staggering 1.273 slugging percentage in Chico State’s seven TOC games in Turlock. Besides the five home runs, she was solely responsible for 47 percent of the Wildcats’ entire run production over the weekend. For her efforts, Gonzalez was named to the TOC All-Tournament team.
Gonzalez began the Tournament of Champions Friday with a two-RBI performance in an 8-7 win over Montana State-Billings. She followed up by going 3-for-3 with a homer and a pair of ribbies as the Wildcats topped Western Oregon 5-0. Desiree’ finished the day with a solo homer in a 7-4 loss to Central Washington.
Saturday Gonzalez collected three hits and three RBI in a 9-6 loss to Simon Fraser, then blasted a homer and drove in all the ’Cats’ runs in a 5-3 loss to Western Washington. She saved her best effort for Sunday, crushing a pair of round-trippers while knocking in five runs as the Wildcats downed Hawaii Pacific 8-0.
Gonzalez, who went into the tournament with a .271 batting average, is now hitting .327 on the season and ranks among the California Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAA) leaders in home runs (8), RBI (33) and slugging percentage (.589).
With 13 dingers in less than two seasons, Gonzalez is now fourth on the Wildcats’ career home runs list. She is also ninth tied for ninth on the ’Cats’ all-time RBI list with 69.
Gonzalez and the Wildcats return to CCAA action this Friday and Saturday, taking on Cal State Monterey Bay in an important four-game series in Seaside.
