SB | Gaels Complete Trip to Texas by Finishing Off Two Game Sweep of Kennesaw State

Sunday, March 1

College Station, TX

9:00 AM

Saint Mary's College of California

11-7

Kennesaw State

4-14

Saint Mary's

Kennesaw State

Photo by: Ryan Barnett / SMC Athletics

SB | Gaels Complete Trip to Texas by Finishing Off Two Game Sweep of Kennesaw State

3/1/2026 12:47:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Saint Mary's softball team capped off another strong showing in a pre-conference season tournament, defeating Kennesaw State 5-4 to close out its time at the TAMU Invitational. It was the Gaels' second win over the Owls in the event, as they finished the tournament out with a 3-2 record, matching their record last week at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.

Alex Cutonilli logged her second big game against the Owls this week, going 2-4 with a double, a home run and a pair of RBI. Hannah Ferguson also logged a pair of hits, while Braxton Brown left the yard for the second time in the tournament and the fifth time in the last two weeks. In the circle, Odhi Vasquez finished the game out, not allowing an earned run over the final 3.2 innings of the contest, earning her second victory of the week and fourth of the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gaels jumped on the Owls early with a five run first inning, prompting an early pitching change. Braxton Brown and Alex Cutonilli both mashed first inning home runs, Brown's of the three run variety, and Cutonilli's driving in two, to put the Gaels on the front foot.

Mia Nishikawa earned the start in the circle, and did not allow a run through the first two frames. Kennesaw State scratched across one in the third, and put runners on the corners with one away in the fourth, prompting Coach Sonja Garnett to turn to senior Odhi Vasquez out of the pen. The veteran Vasquez was able to dance out of trouble despite a defensive miscue on the infield, and keep the Gaels lead at one run through four. That is where it would remain for the remainder of the contest, as Vasquez shut the Owls out for the remainder of the game en route to the 5-4 victory.

GAME NOTES

Braxton Brown continued to deliver from the cleanup spot, with her team-best fifth home run, all coming in the last two weeks.
Alex Cutonilli also launched one over the fence, her first home run of 2026.
Sam Buckley scored on Brown's home run, logging her 98th career run scored as a Gael, moving her into a tie for fifth most in program history.
Hannah Ferguson notched a pair of hits, bringing her team-high tally of multi-hit games to six on the year. She was the only Gael to reach in all five games this weekend.
Odhi Vasquez pitched her second win of the weekend, and now leads the Gaels pitching staff with four wins. She has tallied 35 career wins thus far in her illustrious career in Moraga. Odhi also eclipsed 350 career strikeouts in this one.
The Gaels improved to 8-3 in neutral site games, already matching their tally of neutral site wins from a year ago.

The Gaels will return home for a Tuesday doubleheader with Sacred Heart. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m. with game two set to follow 30 minutes after the culmination of game one on March 3.

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