SAN DIEGO — The final game of the three-game series between Saint Mary's Softball and San Diego took place on Sunday afternoon, and in a much different fashion from the first two games, this one came down to the wire. The Gaels took an early lead behind a strong offensive performance from their designated player, but the Toreros battled back to take a 4-3 win and win the series over Saint Mary's. The Gaels drop to 13-20 (1-2) after the first weekend of conference play.
 
EBBERS EXCELLING
The Saint Mary's offense was sparked from Ellen Ebbers all afternoon long, as she played roles in all three Saint Mary's rallies. In the second inning, it was Ebbers providing the big blast, sending a home run out to deep left field to put Saint Mary's ahead 1-0. It was her team-leading third home run of the 2022 season, and gave her 12 RBI. In the fourth, Ebbers was hit by a pitch after Indya Smith tripled, putting runners on the corners. While she didn't score, she helped set the table for Claudia Kirchner to deliver a two-out hit to give Saint Mary's a 2-1 lead. In the fifth, Marissa Nishihara opened the inning with a single, and with two outs, it was Ebbers again providing a big knock, doubling down the left field line to give SMC their third run of the game. The two-hit performance from Ebbers is her first two-hit game as a Gael.
 
THE WINNING INNING
The bottom of the fourth inning is when the Toreros offense mounted enough of a rally against Sofia Earle to take her down, after being shut down by her just one day ago. The inning began with the first three hitters reaching base via two singles sandwiching a walk, with the second of those singles scoring the tying run to make it 2-2. The first out of the inning induced by Earle gave USD the lead, as a groundout to second produced a run. More trouble followed, as Earle allowed another single with one out to score the third run of the inning, and suddenly it was 4-2 San Diego. The inning could have been far worse for SMC, as a walk loaded the bases with one out, but Earle escaped after a lineout and a pop out ended the frame.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's is off until next Friday when they return to Cottrell Field and host Loyola Marymount in a three-game series on Friday and Saturday. The series begins on Friday afternoon at 2:00 pm and concludes on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon. Saint Mary's will not have a midweek game on the schedule until they host UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday, April 27.