DAVIS, Calif. — After picking up an exciting, extra-inning victory in day one of the NorCal Kickoff, Saint Mary's Softball played two times early on Saturday, this time at the home of UC Davis Softball. A rematch of the Montana Grizzlies came first, followed by a contest with the hosting Aggies, but the outcomes were different from Friday's opener. Saint Mary's dropped both games on Saturday, first falling 11-2 to the Griz and then 4-1 to UC Davis. The Gaels are now 1-2 after the first two days of the season.
 
Game 1: Montana 11, Gaels 2
 
A BIT EARLIER
It took the Gaels offense eight innings before breaking through against Montana on Friday, but this time around, SMC scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. Ellen Ebbers led off the inning with a walk before Jenavee Amador singled through the right side in a pinch-hit appearance, her first collegiate hit. A sacrifice bunt put both runners in scoring position, and then a pair of singles scored both runners. First it was Jayda Alaan sending one up the middle, and then Claudia Kirchner in another pinch-hit role, dropping one into left-center. At the time, those singles made it a 6-2 game.
 
EARLY DEFICIT
The Gaels sent out four pitchers in game one, holding onto their ace for game two of the morning. Avrey Wolverton made her collegiate debut in the circle, but was pulled in the first inning after allowing a pair of runs. Kailey O'Connor followed in her first appearance, and she got five outs while allowing just one hit, but three runs came across on her watch. Kayla Scott and Marissa Woolsey closed it out for Saint Mary's, but by that point, the Griz had already pulled ahead by a comfortable enough margin to hold on for the win.
 
Game 2: UC Davis 4, Gaels 1
 
COMEBACK ATTEMPT
The Gaels tried to make some noise late in the game, forcing a UC Davis pitching change with two outs left in the seventh and a run already home. Alex Casas opened the inning with a single, and once she was moved into scoring position with two down, Kirchner drove her home with a single to right field, making it a 4-1 game. The Gaels still needed at least one more runner to reach base before the tying run could come to bat, but a pitching change brought relief for the Aggies, who closed out the game and the win.
 
HOW WE GOT THERE
UC Davis scored single runs in four innings of off SMC starter Sofia Earle, though some of it could have been avoided. She allowed runs in the first, third, fourth, and fifth innings, but just two of those four runs were charged as earned. This included an inside-the-park home run for Anna Dethlefson in the third, one of the two earned runs against Earle. Wolverton came on in relief of Earle midway through the fifth, and retired five of the six hitters that she faced in a much steadier appearance.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will stay for one more day in Davis as they play two more games in the NorCal Kickoff on Sunday. Starting at 9:00 am, the Gaels play San Jose State before taking on UC Davis once more at 11:30 am. This will wrap up the first weekend of tournament play for the Gaels, who will begin the season with five tournaments in five weekends.