FRESNO, Calif. — For the final time this season, Saint Mary's softball hit the road, playing their final road games of the year at Fresno State. In a non-conference doubleheader, the Saint Mary's offense continued to show signs of life late in the season. The only problem was their pitching, which gave up an uncharacteristic 23 runs across the two games, resulting in 9-3 and 14-7 losses on Tuesday night. Saint Mary's is now 17-27 while Fresno State improves to 22-28.
 
Game 1: Fresno State 9, Saint Mary's 3
 
THREE IN THE THIRD
After falling behind 2-0 in the second, Saint Mary's battled back to ensure that deficit did not last for long. Tori Cervantes opened the inning with a walk, Marissa Montelongo was hit by a pitch, and Hannah Ferguson singled to load the bases with nobody out. Two batters later, Taylor Lane delivered with her first big hit of the day, an RBI single to left field that scored a run to make it 2-1. Jenavee Amador followed with a big hit of her own, a two-run double down the right field line, and suddenly Saint Mary's had the lead at 3-2. They were unable to add on from there, though, as the offense stalled out and gave the Bulldogs plenty of chances to strike.
 
ONE BIG INNING
Yes, Fresno State was able to find early success against Gaels starter Kailey O'Connor, but it was really the fourth inning where the game fell apart for her and SMC. With the score tied 3-3, three of the first four hitters of the inning reached base safely, which included a Saint Mary's error, and suddenly it was 5-3 Fresno State. This brought Avrey Wolverton in the game, and things didn't get any better in that inning. A walk and an RBI single is how Wolverton was greeted, making it 6-3, and then the inning was capped off after a dropped foul ball, which was directly followed by a three-run home run, making it 9-3 Bulldogs.
 
Game 2: Fresno State 14, Saint Mary's 7
 
FAST FIVE
The offense didn't wait around to get going in the second game, scoring the game's first five runs, all in the first two innings. In the first, it was Jenavee Amador coming through with a two-run blast to left field to score Hannah Ferguson and make it 2-0 Gaels. In the second, Saint Mary's loaded up the bases without any hits, but had two outs with the Bulldogs looking to end the threat. Enter Taylor Lane, who continued her great day with a bases-clearing double, plating three runs and making it a 5-0 Gaels lead in support of starting pitcher Marissa Woolsey.
 
THE NEXT FIVE
Over the next five innings of the game, Fresno State scored in all five, putting up 14 runs against Saint Mary's pitching. Four of those runs came in the second inning in response to the 5-0 lead, and six runs came in the fifth inning when Fresno State effectively put the game on ice. Woolsey was chased from the game without getting an out in the second inning, and Odhi Vasquez allowed nine runs in relief over 3.2 innings, while putting 15 runners on base. Avrey Wolverton got the final four outs of the game but even she allowed two runs, making it a less-than-stellar performance for a usually solid pitching staff that has helped the Gaels to a winning record in WCC play.
 
UP NEXT
The final five games of the season are at Cottrell Field for SMC, beginning with a non-conference doubleheader against Sacramento State on Friday, May 5, at 1:00 pm. Then the season wraps up on May 12-13 with a three-game series against BYU in their last-ever series in WCC play.