SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Saturday afternoon meant the start of a three-game West Coast Conference series for Saint Mary's Softball against the Santa Clara Broncos. The Gaels needed a strong output after dropping their first two conference series, and perhaps that spark came in game two. After losing game one of the double dip once the Broncos came from behind, Saint Mary's rallied to take game two by a final of 8-2, splitting the doubleheader to run their record to 14-24, and 2-6 in WCC play.
 
Game 1: Santa Clara 6, Saint Mary's 3
 
THREE IN THE THIRD
Saint Mary's jumped out to a 3-0 lead in game one of the doubleheader after scoring three times in the third inning, with Marissa Nishihara doing a lot of damage. The first two runners reached after Holly Lusk singled and Reyna Heredia reached on an error. With one away, Nishihara sent a double down the right field line to score the game's first run, giving Saint Mary's a 1-0 lead. A bunt single from Alex Casas brought home the second run of the inning, moving Nishihara to third. That's when the Gaels successfully executed a double-steal, allowing Nishihara to score from third base to cap off a three-run outburst that seemed to be enough with their ace in the circle.
 
THE COUNTER
The Broncos chipped away at the 3-0 hole, making it 3-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth with Earle still pitching. That's when the Broncos were able to come from behind and stun the Gaels in their last turn at bat. It all began with a hit batter and a sacrifice bunt, moving the runner to second base. Three-consecutive run-scoring hits were then produced by Broncos hitters, with the first two being RBI doubles to take a 4-3 lead and chase Earle from the game. With Kailey O'Connor in, she allowed an RBI single to make it 5-3, and then two batters later, an infield single scored the fourth run of the inning and the sixth run of the game for SCU.
 
Game 2: Saint Mary's 8, Santa Clara 2
 
KEEP 'EM COMIN'
The offense exploded for Saint Mary's in game two of the doubleheader, breaking out for eight runs on 14 hits. The eight runs were the second-best offensive output for SMC this season, with only their 13 runs against Sacramento State representing a better run total. Five Gaels had multiple hits in the game, including Marissa Nishihara who led the way with three hits in game two. Reyna Heredia and Bry Waters recorded mutli-hit games for the first time this season, and Sasa Koria recorded her first multi-hit game since coming back from a concussion. Indya Smith also produced two hits and was involved in several rallies, scoring three times. All of this offense was more than enough for Kayla Scott to record the complete game victory.
 
ADDING ON
Saint Mary's scored every inning from the second inning through the sixth inning, where they got their eight runs. Their biggest innings came in the third and the fifth, when they scored a total of five runs. In the third, it was Koria leading off with a double down the left field line, and then Angelina Franco singled her over to third base. A sacrifice fly from Jenavee Amador made it a 2-0 Saint Mary's lead at the time, and after a line out, Heredia came through with one of her two hits to score Alyssa Vessel, running for Franco, to make it a 3-0 game. In the fifth, Saint Mary's took advantage of three Santa Clara errors to tack on three more runs. Waters drove in a run on a fielder's choice, Nishihara singled home another, and the third error of the inning produced the third run of the frame for SMC.
 
UP NEXT
The three-game series between the Broncos and the Gaels wraps up on Sunday afternoon with first pitch at 12:00 pm. Once the weekend concludes, the Gaels will be at home for their final homestand of the season, a five-gamer, beginning on April 27 at home against UC Santa Barbara. The Gaels will play Pacific in a three-game series over that weekend, and then host Stanford in their home finale of the 2022 campaign.