MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's softball is coming back into action after the Mustang Classic was rained out last weekend. The Gaels will be competing against Dartmouth College and University of Maine this Friday and Saturday, March 17-18 and play a total of four games within these two days at Cottrell Field. The game on March 18 against Dartmouth is also Family Day for the Gaels.

THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels vs Dartmouth College / University of Maine
Friday - Saturday, March 17-18
Cottrell Field - Moraga, Calif.
Live Stats and Streaming

LAST TIME OUT
Even though the Mustang Classic was canceled last weekend, the Gaels got the chance to participate in the Capital Classic and finished with a record of 2-3. Saint Mary's had to deal with less-than-ideal weather in both Sacramento and Davis. All five games of the event were low-scoring affairs, with the Gaels scoring just 13 runs, but they walked away with a pair of wins. They snapped an eight-game losing skid on March 4 with a 2-1 win over Siena, and then closed out the weekend with their second shutout of the season, a 3-0 victory over Southern Utah.

FINDING THEIR GROOVE
The pitching staff has been coming together as of late, highlighted by their performances from two weekends ago. In five games, the Gaels allowed just 12 runs, and picked up the aforementioned shutout win over Southern Utah. Their staff ERA is sitting at 4.33 through the first 19 games of the season, but three of the team's pitchers have ERAs south of 4.00. Kailey O'Connor is leading the way with 51.2 innings pitched and a 3.25 ERA, while Odhi Vasquez is carrying a 3.77 ERA, with 34 strikeouts in 39 innings. Avrey Wolverton has also found success in the circle, posting a 1.91 earned run average across her first five appearances of the season.

ABOUT DARTMOUTH
Saint Mary's will play against Dartmouth College twice over this weekend on Friday March 17 at 12:30 pm and Saturday March 18 at 3:00 pm. Dartmouth has only played nine games this season, winning their first three before dropping their last six. They most recently participated in the Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament, losing all four games they participated in. The offense has struggled to get going, with just two players batting average over .300: Maddie Katona coming in with a .333 and Ashley Frantz coming in right behind with a .304. Sophomore Rachel McCarroll has been their best pitcher so far, pitching 37.0 innings this season with an overall ERA of 3.22. 

ABOUT UNIVERSITY OF MAINE
The Gaels will then take on the University of Maine for their remaining two games on Friday March 17 at 3:00 pm and Saturday March 18 at 12:30 pm. The Bears have played 18 games this season so far with an overall record of 5-13. The last time they were seen out on the field was in the Bulldog Classic where they went just 1-3. Overall, the Bears have a pretty solid lineup with Kelby Drews coming in with an average of .343, Izzy Nieblas with a .302 and Grace McGouldrick with a .300. In the circle, the Black Bears are led by senior Caitlyn Fallon and freshman Alysen Rieth, but both have ERAs above 5.00.