STOCKTON, Calif. — Saint Mary's Softball went to the home of one of their West Coast Conference rivals on Sunday afternoon, but not for a conference game. The Gaels took on Northern Colorado on Sunday at the University of the Pacific in a single game, after the two were supposed to meet in Colorado in March but the games were snowed out. Saint Mary's received a few big hits on offense, but they couldn't sustain enough rallies to get past a late surge from UNC that wound up pushing them to a 6-2 win. Saint Mary's falls to 11-17 on the season with the loss.
 
BIG BLASTS
Saint Mary's received two massive hits on the afternoon, the first of which was a collegiate first. After she recorded one of three hits the Gaels put up against Oregon State on Thursday, Jenavee Amador continued to stay hot by belting her first collegiate home run. The solo shot came in the second inning and put the Gaels up 1-0. In the fifth inning, Saint Mary's trailed 2-1 before Reyna Heredia led off the inning with a single. After a pair of outs, Marissa Nishihara delivered for SMC with a double to the alley in right center, scoring Heredia and tying the game up at 2-2. Unfortunately for the Gaels, those three hits mentioned were three of the four hits they would receive on the afternoon, not quite enough offense to survive the last push from UNC.
 
QUICK ANSWER
Sofia Earle was in the circle for Saint Mary's on Sunday, and things unraveled quickly after what was shaping up to be a solid start for the senior lefty. An error began the bottom of the fifth, after the Gaels tied the game, but she got the next two Bears out in quick succession, including erasing the error with a caught stealing. With the bases empty, a single and a walk preceded the biggest swing of the game: a three-run home run from Alison Steinker to put Northern Colorado ahead 5-2. They would add one more run in the inning against Marissa Woolsey, and Saint Mary's could not string together enough hits to counter the blow.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's has a quick turnaround to their next two games, which take place on Tuesday in the late afternoon against Fresno State. The Gaels and Bulldogs will play two starting at 3:30 pm, the final games of the non-conference season before WCC play begins over the weekend as the Gaels take on San Diego at the home of the Toreros.