HONOLULU — Saint Mary's Softball wrapped up play at the 2023 Hawaii Paradise Classic with a tall task in front of them. They had to take on a Hawaii team that had just beaten them 16-2 the night before, and they were 0-2 against Hawaii in the first two days of the event. All of that considered, it didn't faze the Gaels, who came out and shut down the Rainbow Wahine to win 5-1 and head back to California with a 2-3 record through the first five games of the season.
 
ANOTHER GOOD START
In the last few games, the Gaels have set the tone early by taking the first lead, and that was again the case on Sunday. With one out in the top of the third, Lindsay Cabral drew a walk, and she was moved up to second on a base hit by Bry Waters. The Gaels made a change to put Tori Cervantes on second base as a pinch runner, and that paid off, as both runners moved up a base on a groundout, and then Cervantes scored on a wild pitch to put the Gaels in front with two outs.
 
BUSTING IT OPEN
The game changed for good in the top of the fifth inning when the Gaels put up four runs on the board, which put the game out of reach. It all began with a Rylee Gomez walk, and then her pinch runner Marissa Montelongo moved to second on a single by Taylor Lane. The bases were loaded when Cabral singled to left, but they wouldn't stay loaded for long. Montelongo scored on a passed ball to make it 2-0, and then after a fielder's choice, Hannah Ferguson singled through the left side to make it 3-0. Marissa Nishihara then tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt, and the throw got away from the Hawaii catcher, which plated the fourth run of the game. Then, Alex Casas successfully laid down another sacrifice bunt, this one scoring the final run of the inning, making it a 5-0 game.
 
RISING STOCK
Through three games and two stocks, Kailey O'Connor is making a case to be the ace of the Gaels pitching staff. The sophomore tossed her second complete game of the weekend, going all seven innings and allowing eight hits without a walk, and just one run. One of the keys is limiting her pitch count, as she needed just 75 pitches to go the distance. The Rainbow Wahine did start to get to her by the end of the game, as five of their eight hits came in the final two innings, but they still managed just one single run in the sixth inning.
 
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Saint Mary's landed three on the All-Tournament team following play on Sunday. Claudia Kirchner, Hannah Ferguson, and Kailey O'Connor all received recognition for great starts to the season. Kirchner hit .357 with a home run and a team-best three RBIs in the opening weekend, while Ferguson was great in the leadoff spot, hitting .313 with a team-best four runs scored. O'Connor sports a 1.68 earned run average in three appearances and has both wins for SMC.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's heads home as tournament play continues next weekend with the Saint Mary's Tournament, which takes place from February 17-19. The Gaels will play four games over three days, including two games on Sunday. Utah State, UC San Diego, and San Jose State will all be in town. Neutral games will kick off play on Friday and Sunday.