After a disappointing series in Tempe, Ariz. last weekend, the Matadors softball team (1-5) will play in the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament at UCLA where they will split four games with Portland State (2-4), and UCLA (3-1), who are ranked fourth in the ESPN.com/USA Softball polls.

There will be a doubleheader on Friday, starting at 11 a.m. against the Vikings, and then the Matadors get back to the diamond at 4 p.m. versus the Bruins. CSUN plays UCLA once again Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Then the Matadors end the tournament against Portland State at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

“Even though we are 1-5, we are in a better place than we have been in the past (years),” first baseman Jaclyn Rymer said. “We still are growing and learning.”

CSUN looks to stay motivated and build from its first six games, two of which were against No. 1 Washington and No. 15 Northwestern. They had a few games where they almost came back, but their offense wasn’t being productive, with only 37 hits and stranding 43 base runners (13 by the one through four hitters in the lineup).

“We had a lot of hard-hit balls and we made contact,” said Rymer. “We just weren’t finding the wholes.”

Leading the Matadors in their offense was Jennifer Mosier, who is hitting .556, with two homeruns, five hits and four RBIs.

The Matadors’ pitching has been on the rocks. They have given up 44 hits and 29 runs in six games. Their ace Debbie Duran is 0-2 with an ERA of 8.13.

The Vikings are coming off an 8-0 loss to California and have already suffered a three-game losing streak to begin the season. Their leading hitter is Sandi Lopez, who has a batting average of .308, with four hits and two RBIs. Their pitching has kept them close in four games with ace Tori Rogers, who has an ERA of 0.00 and has only allowed eight hits.

No. 4 UCLA has had a strong start to their season, only allowing eight runs in four games. Their bats were explosive at the first two games against Tennessee and Florida Atlantic, scoring 11 runs each game. The Bruins’ entire lineup has contributed to the offense with their leader, Katie Schroeder, who has a batting average of .385. Leading them on the mound is Donna Kerr, with an ERA of 1.40 and only allowing two runs and five hits.

“We played some big teams, and we can see where our potential is,” Jennifer Mosier said. “We know where are strengths are.”