SB | Gaels Slug Their Way to Twin Bill Sweep of Montana

Thursday, March 12

Moraga, CA

1:00 PM

Saint Mary's College of California

15-10

Montana

4-15

Montana

Saint Mary's

Taylor Lane: 6-for-7 2 2B, 6 RBI

Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner

SB | Gaels Slug Their Way to Twin Bill Sweep of Montana

3/12/2026 8:11:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Highlights

MORAGA, Calif. — The Saint Mary's softball team ran their home winning streak to 10 in a row on Thursday afternoon, winning both sides of a doubleheader with Montana on Thursday afternoon. The Gaels struck for a combined 18 runs and 23 hits in the twin bill, and will look to keep the offense flowing in the series finale against the Grizzlies tomorrow.

Taylor Lane put up the best single day of her redshirt senior season thus far, going 6-for-7 at the plate with two doubles and six runs driven in. Hannah Ferguson added four hits, including a double and a triple, scoring four times. In the circle, Odhi Vasquez worked a complete game victory in game one, while Ella Thurman tossed the final 3.1 innings scoreless for the win in game two.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Game One (6 inn.) | Saint Mary's 10, Montana 2
The Gaels (16-10) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the blink of an eye, plating three runs in the first and one in the second, including a pair scored by Hannah Ferguson. That opened up an offensive barrage for Saint Mary's, who scored at least one run in all six of the frames played.

Montana (4-16) scored their first run of the series in the top of the third, but the Gaels responded with four more runs over the third in fourth, three of which were driven in on two swings from Taylor Lane. After trading runs in the fifth, the Gaels would reach double-digit runs in the sixth, scoring on a perfectly placed Camille Lara bunt single, and an errant throw, ending the game in run rule fashion, as the Gaels pulled ahead by, 10-2. Odhi Vasquez worked all six innings, allowing just one earned run (two total) on five hits, while fanning seven.

Game Two | Saint Mary's 8, Montana 6
In game two, it was the Gaels, who jumped ahead of the Gaels early, pulling ahead 6-0 midway through the fourth. Saint Mary's began to claw back in the bottom half, as Taylor Lane led off the frame with a double and scored on a Kiah Silva groundout two batters later. Mia Zabat (single) and Hannah Ferguson (walk) would both reach, before Sam Buckley cashed both of them in with a single followed by a missed cut-off throw, as the Gaels cut the deficit in half through four full.

Kiah Silva and Mia Zabat led off the bottom of the sixth with back-to-back singles from the eight and nine spots in the order. Silva would score on a Sam Buckley bunt, paired with a dropped throw by the catcher, and Zabat would come around on an Averie Prescott single, bringing the deficit to just one run. Following a Braxton Brown double, Prescott would score on a wild pitch, and Alex Cutonilli would walk on four pitches, making way for the hottest Gael hitter of the day, Taylor Lane. Lane poked a double to right, scoring both and giving the Gaels their first lead at 8-6.

Pitcher Ella Thurman entered the game with two outs in the fourth, and was spectacular in keeping the Gaels in this one. After working 2.1 scoreless, she needed three outs in the top of the seventh to pitch herself into her third W of the season, and did just that. After surrendering a leadoff walk, Thurman retired the next three batters and the Gaels completed the comeback effort with an 8-6 victory.

GAME NOTES

The Gaels comeback from down six runs in game two is the largest come-from-behind victory in the Sonja Garnett era.
Taylor Lane tallied six total hits today, after entering the contest with just seven all season. She saw her average climb from .159 to .255 in the two contests.
Hannah Ferguson added four hits, bringing her career batting average to .333 and her season average to .423. She currently ranks sixth all-time in career average, and has the second highest single season batting average in program history if the season were to end today.
Lane and Sam Buckley each drove in their 83rd career runs today, tying them for 10th most all-time. Buckley also became the fourth Gael in program history to score 100 runs in a career.
Ferguson showed off the wheels today, with a triple and two stolen bases. The triple was her fifth of the season, and the tenth of her career, tied for sixth and second most in program history respectively. She also became just the seventh Gael to swipe 50 bags in program history.
Odhi Vasquez moved into a tie for third place with 365 career strikeouts.
Braxton Brown recorded hits in both games, moving both her hit and on-base streak to nine straight games, the longest of any Gael hit or on-base streak this season.
The Gaels now move to 7-0 at home this season, and have won 10 straight at home this season, their longest home winning streak since the end of the 2023 and start of the 2024 seasons, when they won 10 straight at Cottrell Field.