Chico State’s top slugger from a year ago, Rachel Failla, is already providing the 2010 edition of the Wildcats with plenty of middle-of-the-lineup production. Failla batted .364 over the weekend, collecting a pair of extra base hits – including her first home run of the year – and drove in four runs in Chico State's four-game series against Cal State Monterey Bay. She is the first Chico State softball player this spring to be named the Wildcat of the Week.
In Friday’s doubleheader opener against the Otters, Failla went 2-for-4 with three RBI, including a run-scoring single and a two-run homer over the left field fence. In the second game of Saturday’s twinbill, the San Diego native got Chico State on the board with an RBI double, then singled to prolong a four run seventh inning as the ’Cats beat Monterey Bay 5-1 to avoid a series sweep.
Failla’s .333 batting average leads Chico State, and she also tops the team’s stat sheets in extra base hits (four), RBI (eight) and slugging percentage (.556). She’s tied for the team lead in doubles (three) and home runs (one), and is second in hits (nine) and on-base percentage (.424).
The Wildcats play their first home games of the 2010 season this Friday and Saturday, as they host Cal State Dominguez Hills for a pair of doubleheaders at University Softball Field.
