LONG BEACH, Calif. – Saint Mary's Softball (2-6) earned the split with Southern Utah (2-5) and Long Beach State (4-3), defeating the Thunderbirds in the neutral contest before falling to the tournament hosts. The Gaels put together solid pitching performances again in both games, as they maintained their solid team ERA, which now sits at 3.30. 

GAME ONE: SMC 2 - SUU 1 (8 Inn.)
The Gaels and Thunderbird locked in a pitcher's duel through the first half of this one. The Gaels broke through in the fourth, when Braxton Brown was hit by a pitch, Victoria Castillo pinch ran for her, was bunted over to second, before Kiah Silva slapped a single to right for her first collegiate RBI.

Odhi Vasquez would continue to keep the Thunderbirds bats at bay until the fifth, when a one out double eventually resulted in a sacrifice fly drawing the game level at one. Neither team would score in the seventh, forcing bonus softball.

The top of the eighth got off to a disastrous start. With the tiebreaker run placed on second, the Gaels allowed the next two runners to reach, one on an error, one on a hit, to load the bases with nobody out. Down, but not out, Vasquez dug deep to strike out back to back batters on six pitches before inducing an inning ending groundout to keep things knotted up. 

Tori Cervantes was placed at second as the tiebreaker for the Gaels in the bottom of the eighth, and Sam Buckley was intentionally walked. Camille Lara legged out a bunt single, bringing the Gaels RBI leader, Alex Cutonilli to the plate. The sophomore battled to a full count before earning the walk off walk for her team-high eighth RBI. 

The final line for Odhi Vasquez was a work of art, going eight full, surrendering one run on five hits, while striking out 10 and walking none. Kiah Silva logged her first collegiate RBI, while Alex Cutonilli provided her team-high eighth and her third career walk-off RBI. 

GAME TWO: SMC 0 - LBSU 4
Saint Mary's did not get off to the same great start in game two, as three hits to the first four batters, including a home run, pushed the Beach ahead 3-0 in the blink of an eye. From that point on, the Gaels pitching duo of Avrey Wolverton (2.1 IP) and Ella Thurman (3.2 IP) settled in nicely to only allow one more run, but the SMC offense was limited to just one hit, as the Gaels eventually fell 4-0. 

The Gaels best chance actually came in the top of the first when base on balls to Sam Buckley and Alex Cutonilli sandwiched a Camille Lara reached on error, but none of the runners were able to cross. Saint Mary's got their lone hit in the sixth inning, when Braxton Brown reached on an infield single, her third hit in as many games. 

Starter Avrey Wolverton was only able to go 2.1 innings pitched after a labor intensive first inning, but after surrendering hits to three of the first four batters, did not allow a hit for the rest of her outing. Bullpen specialist Ella Thurman went 3.2 out of the pen, surrendering just one run on three hits while fanning one. 

UP NEXT
The Gaels will continue to play down south next weekend, taking part in the Mary Nutter Classic, taking on Cal State Fullerton and CSUN on Friday, Northwestern and Hawaii on Saturday and San Diego State on Sunday. 

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