LA JOLLA, Calif. — In the final day of the La Jolla Invitational, Saint Mary's Softball saved one of their best performances for last. After scoring a single run in the first inning, Sofia Earle made sure that lone run would stand, as she and the Gaels blanked Utah in a rematch of Friday afternoon, and the Gaels got revenge in a 1-0 win. Saint Mary's caps off the weekend 2-3, and is now 4-6 early in the season.
 
EXCELLENT EARLE
It's tough to ask for a better pitching performance than the one the Gaels got out of Sofia Earle on Sunday afternoon against Utah. Earle tossed her first shutout of the season, holding the Utes off the scoreboard through seven innings while allowing just three hits and striking out seven. She did allow eight walks, allowing for plenty of traffic on the base paths, but she worked around those in the 123-pitch complete game. Perhaps Utah's best chance to score off of Earle came in the first inning, when a bunt single, a walk, and two steals put runners at second and third with just one out. Earle got a strikeout and a lineout to end the threat and keep Utah off the board. In the fifth, Utah again was threatening, this time with the bases loaded and just one out. Earle then struck out the next two hitters to maintain the Gael lead. Earle struck out a total of 18 hitters over the 13 innings she tossed this weekend, and improved her record to 2-2.
 
LONE TALLY
The Gaels scored 13 runs in their first game on Saturday, but needed just one run in the very first inning to get the job done this time around. In that first inning, Jayda Alaan singled through the right side with one out to get the party started. Sasa Koria was then hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Alex Casas drove in the run thanks to an error by the Utes second baseman, with Casas reaching on a fielder's choice and Alaan scoring from second. The Gaels then had runners at second and third but could not extend the inning any further, though it would not come back to cost them in the end.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's returns to the Bay Area for a pair of games next weekend before tournament play resumes over the weekend. The Gaels will play the Pac-12 this week, with dates against Cal on Wednesday and Stanford on Thursday on tap. Wednesday's game against Cal will begin at 2:00 pm and will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network, with Ben Ross on the call.