SB | Late Comeback Effort Comes Up Short in Opener vs LMU

Friday, May 1

Moraga, CA

3:00 PM

Saint Mary's College of California

36-13, 0

LMU

32-15, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
LMU	0	1	1	0	7	0	2	11	14	1
Saint Mary's	0	0	0	3	0	0	2	5	12	0

Andrea De La Rosa: 1-4 2B, Game-Tying RBI, 1 Runner Caught Stealing

Photo by: Jackson Thornborrow / SMC Athletics

SB | Late Comeback Effort Comes Up Short in Opener vs LMU

5/1/2026 7:18:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Highlights

MORAGA, Calif. — The Saint Mary's softball team saw its 18-game home win streak come to an end on Friday afternoon at Cottrell Field, falling to LMU 11-5. After erasing an early deficit, the Gaels fell behind by as many as eight runs late in the game. They would plate two in the bottom of the seventh, but the Lions would eventually retire the side to see away the six-run victory.

The Gaels were able to muster up 12 hits in the clash between the top two teams in the WCC, including multi-hit ballgames from Hannah Ferguson, Sam Buckley and Victoria Castillo. Buckley hammered her ninth homer of the season to tie her with Braxton Brown for the team lead in round trippers, while Castillo and Andrea De La Rosa both logged doubles in the contest. Saint Mary's used three pitchers, with Odhi Vasquez going the first 4.1, followed by two full innings from Madeline Haun and 0.2 of an inning from Mia Nishikawa. Vasquez added seven strikeouts to her WCC-best tally of 124, while Nishikawa needed just three pitches to retire the lone two batters that she faced.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Through the first three innings, it was all Lions (32-15, 9-4 WCC), taking an early 2-0 lead. The Gaels (36-13, 11-2 WCC) offense came to life in the fourth, taking their first lead of the game at 3-2. Things got started when Sam Buckley tattooed a 3-2 offering over the right centerfield fence to cut the deficit to just one run. Victoria Castillo ripped the very next pitch to left center for a double, chasing LMU starter Sara Pinedo from the game.

The first batter to face the new LMU arm, Sawyer Denser, was Andrea De La Rosa, who sent a ball back up the middle that found its way to the wall due to a heavy pull side shift in the outfield, scoring Castillo and tying things up at two. De La Rosa would be pinch run for by Ruby Cuen Camacho, and Mia Zabat would continue the hit parade with a single to center. Cuen Camacho, however, would be thrown out at the plate on a brilliant throw from Lion center fielder Avery Francis, keeping the score at two apiece. That scoreline would not last long, however, as an infield single by Camille Lara would plate Zabat and give Saint Mary's its first lead of the game.

The Gaels needed nine outs to see away the victory, but after recording just one, the Lions would pull back ahead, and add on seven more insurance runs to take an 11-3 lead heading into the SMC final ups. Kiah Silva and Hannah Ferguson would lead off the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back singles, and with one out, Ferguson would make a max effort play to beat out a throw to second on a fielder's choice to load the bases with one away. Sam Buckley would earn a bases loaded walk to cut the deficit to seven, and Lauren Tran would drive in the Gaels' fifth run with an infield single, but that's where the scoring would end, as the Lions would record the final two outs to earn the series opening victory.

GAME NOTES

Sam Buckley smashed her 27th career home run in this one, continuing to add to her program record tally.
Hannah Ferguson extended her active team-leading hit streak to seven straight games with a single in the seventh.
Ferguson also scored her 44th run of the season, creeping closer to the single season runs record of 47, set by Sam Buckley last year.
Andrea De La Rosa put together another outstanding game in her fifth consecutive start behind the dish, with a game tying RBI double and her second career runner caught stealing.
Despite the loss, the Gaels remain two games in front of LMU in the WCC standings, and can still clinch the conference this week with two wins and a Santa Clara loss to Seattle U.