MORAGA, Calif. — West Coast Conference action returned to Cottrell Field on Friday afternoon as Saint Mary's Softball hosted Loyola Marymount in an afternoon doubleheader. LMU was fresh off of a big series win over BYU to begin WCC play, and they kept that momentum rolling into Moraga. The Lions limited the Saint Mary's offense to just five hits and one run on Friday en route to wins of 5-1 and 14-0. Saint Mary's falls to 13-22 (1-4) while Loyola Marymount improves to 27-13 (4-1).
 
Game 1: Loyola Marymount 5, Saint Mary's 1
 
EARLY ENERGY
Saint Mary's pounced on the board in the first inning after taking advantage of some poor execution from LMU. Jenna Perez, one of the best pitchers in the West Coast Conference, walked the first two hitters of the game without throwing a strike, but recovered by getting a pair of strikeouts. With Jenavee Amador at the plate and two outs, she popped one up to the left side of the infield and it was lost in the sun by the LMU shortstop, dropping on the infield and allowing Marissa Nishihara to score from second. The fortuitous double put the Gaels up 1-0 and gave them plenty of early life.
 
DEFENSE DOIN' IT
Despite committing three errors in the game, the Gaels defense made some sterling plays that helped keep the Lions off the board. In the second inning, with the score tied at 1-1, a base hit from LMU with two outs seemed like it would score another run. Nishihara made a strong throw from left field and Amador put down the tag at the plate to keep the game tied and end the inning. In the third, a sharp line drive to first base was snagged by Alex Casas, who fired to third base for an inning-ending double play. Casas again was quick on feet to end the fifth inning, diving to her right to catch a line drive to end the inning. The Gaels turned another double play in the sixth inning, with Claudia Kirchner holding onto a line drive at second and then flipping it to second base for the final out of the sixth frame.
 
Game 2: Loyola Marymount 14, Saint Mary's 0 (5 innings)
 
GAME FLOW
The final score of the game comes as a surprise given the fact that Sofia Earle got the ball in the circle for SMC. Earle is one of the best pitchers in the WCC, but she got roughed up early before she was pulled from the game. Earle allowed five runs in 2.1 innings pitched, and then LMU took advantage of the Saint Mary's bullpen. The big damage came in the fourth inning, when the Lions plated eight runs on seven hits, and at one point, had eight-consecutive batters reach in the inning.
 
The Gaels threw all four healthy pitchers in an effort to quiet the Lions hitters, which put up 15 hits in game two of the double dip. LMU left the yard three times, with Madison Askins, Georgia Blair, and Jasmine Sofowora all hitting homers. The shot from Blair put an exclamation point on the three-run first inning against Earle.
 
Ellen Ebbers and Indya Smith were the lone Gaels to record hits in game two of the doubleheader, while Angelina Franco walked in a pinch-hit appearance. Saint Mary's was never able to put a runner to third base, stymied by Savannah Hooks, who needed just 45 pitches to get through the first four innings of the game before Logan Caymol pitched the fifth on just nine pitches.
 
UP NEXT
The three-game series between Saint Mary's and Loyola Marymount concludes on Saturday at 1:00 pm at Cottrell Field. With rain expected overnight and into the early morning, first pitch might be pushed back to 2:00 pm to allow for the field to dry in sufficient time. After the game, the Gaels will have played two of their five WCC series, with three weekends of play remaining.