MORAGA, Calif. — After spending the first several weeks of the season on the road, Saint Mary's Softball finally opens their home portion of the schedule with a three-game series against North Dakota. The two teams begin with a doubleheader on Friday at 2 pm (adjusted due to pending rain in the Bay Area) and conclude with a single game on Sunday afternoon.
 
THE DETAILS
Games 1/2
Saint Mary's Gaels (7-13) vs. North Dakota Fighting Hawks (9-17)
Friday, March 18 at 2:00 pm
Cottrell Field – Moraga, Calif.
Watch (Game 2) | Live Stats
 
Game 3
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. North Dakota Fighting Hawks
Sunday, March 189 at 2:30 pm
Cottrell Field – Moraga, Calif.
Watch (will be update) | Live Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gaels finished strong down in SoCal last weekend as they played in a tournament hosted by both UC Riverside and California Baptist. Concluding the weekend against Harvard and Columbia, the Gaels won their last two (one against each school), and both wins came in different fashions. The win against Columbia on Saturday came thanks to a one-hitter from Sofia Earle, and on Sunday, the Gaels needed five early runs and a clutch pinch-hit, two-run single from Ellen Ebbers in the top of the sixth inning to beat Harvard 7-5.
 
EARLE DOMINATES
Sofia Earle turned in her best week of the season as she went 2-1 in the circle for Saint Mary's. After taking a loss on Friday, Earle was nearly perfect in her final two outings of the week. She threw a complete game one-hitter against Columbia on Saturday, allowing just one unearned run while striking out eight. Then on Sunday in relief, she tossed four no-hit innings while earning the victory as Saint Mary's beat Harvard. Over her final 11 innings of the week, the senior allowed just one hit without an earned run scoring, while striking out 13. For the entire week, she allowed just three hits in 13.1 innings with 16 strikeouts.
 
ABOUT NORTH DAKOTA
The Fighting Hawks have been doing what Saint Mary's has done this season: playing their entire schedule away from home. Tournament play has taken North Dakota to South Carolina, Alabama, Hawaii, Arizona, and Southern California this season, and now they head to the Bay Area. They actually played at the same tournament last weekend as SMC, and also snagged a couple of wins over Harvard and Columbia. They could be a tired team arriving to Moraga, as they will have played doubleheaders in Bakersfield and Sacramento before Friday. Their offense is hitting just .227 as a group, with a sub-.300 on-base percentage, but their team ERA is just 3.83.