MORAGA, Calif. — It was the tail of two games on Saturday at Cottrell Field as Saint Mary's Softball and San Diego locked up for the final two games of their opening West Coast Conference series. With weather no longer an issue, the bats heated up for the Toreros in game one of the doubleheader, blowing past the Gaels to the tune of a 7-0 win. In game two, the Gaels received a dominant start from Avrey Wolverton to win 2-0 and secure a series win to begin conference play, improving to 11-17 (2-1) on the year.
 
Game 1: San Diego 7, Saint Mary's 0
 
TWO BIG INNINGS
The Toreros scored in three different innings in game one, but the first two of those innings were what did the Gaels in. Kailey O'Connor was in the circle and allowed three unearned runs in the second inning, after a fielding error at shortstop scored the first run of the inning. That would have been the second out of the inning, as a fielder's choice to the next batter would have ended the inning. Instead, Izzy Owen smashed a single to left field to score two more runs with two outs, making it 3-0 USD. In the fifth, it was JoJo Roberts who launched a line-drive home run to right field against O'Connor, a two-run shot, that made it 5-0 Toreros. Those two big innings helped stain the final line for O'Connor, who went five innings and allowed three earned runs with nine hits.
 
STUCK IN THE MUD
While there wasn't much mud at Cottrell Field on Saturday compared to Friday, the Gaels offense struggled to get things going in the first game of the doubleheader. Their offense mustered just three hits against USD starter Madison Earnshaw, who needed fewer than 80 pitches to toss the three-hit shutout. Taylor Lane, Alex Casas, and Lindsay Cabral were the only Gaels to get singles, as they never put a runner past second base. Arguably their best chance came in the fourth inning, down 3-0, when Lane walked to open the inning, and Casas singled with one out, but the Gaels could not advance either runner any further.
 
Game 2: Saint Mary's 2, San Diego 0
 
ROLE REVERSAL
Game two was a completely different story, as Saint Mary's saw a shutdown performance from Avrey Wolverton, who is cementing herself as the ace of the team. Wolverton spun her third consecutive complete game as a starter, and her first collegiate shutout, holding the USD offense to just three hits. She walked only one hitter and struck out seven in the masterclass, and much like Earnshaw in game one, she did not allow a runner to get past second base. After allowing the first two hitters of the game to reach base, Wolverton retired 13 of the next 14 hitters during her most dominant stretch. For the week, Wolverton caps off a stretch of pitching 14.2 innings without allowing an earned run, while picking up two wins and a save.
 
ALL THEY NEEDED
While the Gaels offense didn't light up the scoreboard in game two, they did just enough to support Wolverton in the win. In the first, Hannah Ferguson reached base on an error to start the inning, and then Alex Casas singled her to second. A sacrifice bunt put both runners in scoring position, and with the bases loaded, Angelina Franco lofted a sacrifice fly into right field to put SMC in front 1-0. In the third, it was Casas again playing a pivotal role in the rally, smacking a double to left center with one down before moving to third on a single from Taylor Lane. Saint Mary's then executed a perfect squeeze bunt off the bat of Taylor Keinath, which brought in Casas from third and gave the Gaels a 2-0 lead.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will remain at Cottrell Field next weekend as WCC play continues. The Gaels welcome in Bay Area rival Santa Clara for a three-game series, beginning with a doubleheader on April 15 at 12:00 pm. The series wraps up on Sunday, April 16 at 12:00 pm. The weekend features Alumni Appreciation Day on Saturday and Strike Out Cancer Day on Sunday.