FRESNO, Calif. — Saint Mary's softball plays four games this week, with all four taking place in non-conference play. The Gaels will open the week with a doubleheader at Fresno State on Tuesday, May 2 at 3:30 pm before returning home to face Sacramento State on Friday, May 5 in a twin bill at 1:00 pm. There is a break in the schedule for Saint Mary's with an off-week in WCC play, with their conference slate of games finishing up next week.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (17-25, 7-5 WCC) at Fresno State Bulldogs (20-28, 9-10 MW)
Tuesday, May 2 at 3:30 pm
Margie Wright Diamond – Fresno, Calif.
Watch | Live Stats
 
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Sacramento State Hornets (26-17, 10-5 Big Sky)
Friday, May 5 at 1:00 pm
Cottrell Field – Moraga, Calif.
Watch (1) | Watch (2) | Live Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT
Over the last nine days, Saint Mary's has played an incredible 10 games, with three of those being added onto the schedule after inclement weather wiped out several non-conference games in March. Saint Mary's went just 3-7 during that stretch, but two of those wins came against Pacific on Saturday and Sunday, clinching a West Coast Conference series win. The offense got a much needed kickstart during those two wins, scoring eight runs in each game after scoring just eight runs in the previous four games. That puts the Gaels at 7-5 in WCC play, tied for the most conference wins they've had in one season under head coach Sonja Garnett (2019).
 
CASAS CRUSHING
The Gaels had a busy week, and so did Alex Casas. The senior catcher for Saint Mary's was one of the most productive hitters across seven games, hitting .350 on the week while driving in a team-best eight runs. She also recorded her first multi-home run game of her career, launching a pair of home runs against Pacific in a series-clinching win on Sunday. She also had multiple three-RBI games, including one against California Baptist to begin the week.
 
The multi-home run performance by Casas is the first by a Gael since Julia McCormick on March 7, 2020 against UC Santa Barbara. They are also the first two home runs of her career at Saint Mary's.
 
HISTORIC PERFORMANCE
Odhi Vasquez turned in a great week for Saint Mary's, pitching in all three wins that the Gaels had. She went 2-0 with a 1.94 earned run average across 18 innings, while striking out 21. She began the week by tossing 6.1 innings and allowing just one earned run in a road win against California Baptist, and then capped off the week with one of her best starts. She tossed a complete game in a win over Pacific, allowing just one earned run while striking out a career-best 14.
 
That performance in the circle is historically significant for the Gaels, as it sets the single-game program record for the most strikeouts in a single game. It eclipses the previous record of 13, set by Katie Moss in 2017. She was named the conference's Pitcher of the Week following the dominant week.
 
ABOUT FRESNO STATE
The Bulldogs are right in the middle of an offensively-loaded Mountain West Conference, with a 9-10 record as the season winds down. Their offense has hit 32 home runs and is hitting .265 on the year, but opponents have been able to hit .290 against their pitching. This is their final week of the season, with a series against Boise State closing out their 2023 campaign. Keahilele Mattson has been the team's best hitter, posting a .364 average with nine home runs and 31 RBIs through 48 games on the year. In the circle, none of their pitchers are big strikeout threats, but Taylor Gilmore leads the team in innings (115), wins (8), and ERA (3.53).
 
ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE
The season series with Sacramento State closes out on Friday after these teams played two separate times in February and March. The Hornets won both games by one run, and that's how their season has been defined, with 10 one-run games. It's a team that is led by its pitching staff, with Marissa Bertuccio spinning 14 complete games as part of a 14-8 record and a sterling 1.67 earned run average. They can get a lot of runners on base, thanks to a .292 team batting average, and five players sporting averages of .310 or above in the regular starting lineup. They don't steal a lot of bases (just 27 on the year), but they rank third in the Big Sky in run scored. Big Sky play concluded for them this past weekend against Idaho State, where they are currently in first place a week from the conference tournament.