DAVIS, Calif. — Saint Mary's softball concluded another weekend of tournament play with the Capital Classic, once again playing at UC Davis, but this time against Southern Utah. A couple of standout performances helped the Gaels get past Southern Utah 3-0, avenging a loss they took to the Thunderbirds just two days prior. The Gaels are now 6-13 while sending SUU to 3-9.
 
STAR OF THE SHOW, PART I
In hockey, the NHL awards the three stars of the game to the top three performers of every game. The first star of this game might very well have been Victoria Castillo, who is making a case to be a regular in the SMC lineup. She drew the start in left field on Sunday, and she delivered right away. After Hannah Ferguson opened the game with a single, Castillo sent a ball down the left field line that cleared the fence for a home run. It is the first over-the-wall home run for the Gaels this season, and the first collegiate hit for Castillo, which quickly made it a 2-0 game. She finished the game 2-4 with those two RBIs that proved huge in a 3-0 win.
 
STAR OF THE SHOW, PART II
Odhi Vasquez was not far behind in terms of standing out amongst the crowd, silencing the Thunderbirds bats en route to a complete game shutout, the first of the season for the Gaels. She allowed just four hits and two walks over seven scoreless innings, while striking out eight in the win. Only twice did the Thunderbirds put a runner in scoring position with less than two outs against her (second and sixth innings) where they had a runner at second with nobody out, but both times Vasquez was able to slam the door. It is the second time this season she has tossed seven scoreless innings, with the other outing against Utah State coming in relief.
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels will take part in their final tournament of the 2023 non-conference portion of the schedule when they play in the Mustang Classic on Friday-Sunday, March 10-12. The tournament is hosted by Cal Poly, and the Gaels will see Cal Poly in finale of the tournament on March 12. Saint Mary's will also see South Dakota State and Loyola Chicago twice in the other four games of the event.