RENO, Nev. — Heading back on the road after their first home games of the season, Saint Mary's Softball took on a team also playing their first home games of the year in the Nevada Wolfpack. The Gaels were able to salvage a doubleheader split on Tuesday at the home of the Wolfpack thanks to a stellar pitching performance in game two, where the Gaels won 3-0 after dropping game one 6-2. With the split, Saint Mary's is now 10-15 on the season, and their win in game two is their first true road win of the season (seven neutral-site wins).
 
Game 1: Nevada 6, Saint Mary's 2
 
LATE LIFE
So often this season, it has taken the Gaels offense a few innings to get rolling before big things are on the way. That was the case in game one, when the Gaels made a late push that came just a few innings too early. Down 3-0 in the sixth inning, the Gaels added on a run in the top half of the inning. Sasa Koria opening the inning with a base hit to left field, and she moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. With two outs in the inning, Indya Smith drove her in on a single to center, making it a 3-1 game. After Nevada added on three in the bottom of the inning, Ellen Ebbers launched her second home run in as many games to make it 6-2, but that was the last run for SMC.
 
FAST START, FINISH
Nevada came out of the gates hot, scoring in the first and second innings, and then adding on three big runs in the sixth inning. Marissa Woolsey, fresh off her first win of the season, drew the start in game one, and made it through the first 1.2 innings before being chased from the game with three runs charged against her. Kayla Scott took over and settled things down, with scoreless inning in the third, fourth, and fifth, before she hit a bump in the road in the sixth inning, allowing three runs before being relieved by Kailey O'Connor. Lauren Gutierrez drove in three runs for Nevada to lead their offense.
 
Game 2: Saint Mary's 3, Nevada 0
 
ELECTRIC EARLE
After a rough outing on Sunday that saw the Gaels best pitcher record just two outs, Sofia Earle settled back into her usual excellent form on Tuesday. Pitching in the back-end of a doubleheader, Earle turned in what might be her best performance of the season, tossing a one-hit shutout against Nevada. Just three runners reached base against Earle: one walk, one hit, and one error. Earle was flirting with a no-hitter as the game reached the late innings, taking it all the way into the bottom of the sixth. A bunt single with two outs in the inning broke up the potential no-no from Earle, who struck out nine Nevada hitters in the shutout. She closed it out in the seventh by tossing a clean frame for her fourth complete game of the season.
 
PUT IT ON THE BOARD
Saint Mary's scratched across runs in the top of the fifth and seventh innings, more than enough for Earle to earn the victory. In the fifth, Claudia Kirchner opened up the inning with a single to right field, and her pinch runner Jojo Bryant scored on a single to right center from Holly Lusk, making it 1-0 Gaels. Lindsay Cabral then singled Lusk to third, and Sasa Koria drove in Lusk with a hit down the right field line to make it 2-0 SMC. An insurance run scored in the top of the seventh when Cabral put down a sacrifice bunt, but a throwing error scored Bryant from second base. Bryant was aboard in the place of Jenavee Amador, who led off the inning with a ringing double to the alley in left center.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will be off for the next eight days before they play at home on both March 30 and 31 at Cottrell Field. SMC hosts San Jose State on March 30 and then turns around to host Oregon State on March 31. Wednesday's game against San Jose State begins at 2:30 pm, while Oregon State's game will get underway at 3:00 pm in Moraga.