SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — After a split on day one of the UCSB Tournament, the Gaels (8-8) moved to 2-1 for their weekend on the SoCal coast, defeating the UNLV Rebels (9-6), 9-3. The UNLV jumped out in front early, and while the Gaels responded in the third, the Rebels regained the lead at 3-2 through four. From that point, the Gaels scored seven unanswered runs to close out the game with a six run victory.
The Gaels had just one runner reach in each of their first two ups. UNLV plated their first run without recording a hit, as with one out in the bottom of the first, the Rebels had a batter plunked, followed by three straight walks to put them on the board first. The one run deficit was turned into a one run lead, as Tori Cervantes continued her strong weekend with a one out single, followed by Sam Buckley's second home run in as many days.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, UNLV once again bounced back in front, as three straight two out knocks netted two runs, bringing the scoreline to 3-2 Rebels. In the top of the fifth, however, a UNLV defensive miscue with two away proved extremely costly. With Julia Median on third and Sam Buckley at second, Claudia Kirchner hit a ball that was misplayed by the Rebel shortstop, scoring two. Jenavee Amador followed that up with her first home run of 2025, bringing across two more unearned runs. In total four unearned runs were plated in the fifth.
Odhi Vasquez was back to her dominant self in the fifth and sixth, surrendering three hits, but not allowing any of them to score. In the top of the seventh, the Gaels added three more. Each of the first three batters reached for the Gaels, first Tori Cervantes with a knock, then Sam Buckley with a walk, before Camille Lara plated Cervantes on an opposite field single to left. With two away, and two on, Jenavee Amador struck again, this time with a two RBI double, good for her third extra base hit of the day, pushing the Gaels up by six. Things got a little dicey in the bottom of the seventh. Odhi Vasquez sandwiched a fly out with a single and a double, forcing a move to the bullpen. Chelsea Bennett came out of the pen and needed just six pitches to retire the side and strand both runners, ending the game at 9-3.
It was a game to remember for Jenavee Amador, who ran her ongoing hit-streak to six straight games, with three extra base hits today, and four RBI. Her home run was the first since her sophomore campaign. Now in her senior season, Amador leads the team with five doubles, while ranking second in total extra base hits and RBI. The player she sits behind in those two categories, Sam Buckley, also had a day, with two hits, including a round tripper of her own, three runs scored and two RBI. Buckley's home run was the seventh of her Gael career, as the sophomore is now tied with teammate Taylor Lane for the lead amongst active Gaels in that category. Camille Lara had her second three hit ballgame of the season, while Tori Cervantes went 2-3 with a pair of runs scored, running her tally to five runs scored in the last three games. Odhi Vasquez moved to 5-1 with the win, the best start to a season in her three year Gael career.
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