SB | Ticket Punched! Gaels Secure Outright WCC Title and Automatic Bid to NCAA Regional with 3-2 Win Over Broncos

Friday, May 8

Santa Clara, CA

7:00 PM

Saint Mary's College of California

39-14, 0

Santa Clara

26-24, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Saint Mary's	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	3	7	1
Santa Clara	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	1

Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner

SB | Ticket Punched! Gaels Secure Outright WCC Title and Automatic Bid to NCAA Regional with 3-2 Win Over Broncos

5/8/2026 10:25:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Highlights

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — For the second time in three years, the Saint Mary's softball program is DANCIN'! The Gaels punched their ticket to the third NCAA Regional in program history and second in three years with a well-earned 3-2 victory over Santa Clara.

Tori Cervantes and Taylor Lane got the Gaels on the board early, as each senior drove in a run in the second, but it was Hannah Ferguson in the seventh who provided the eventual game winning hit. Odhi Vasquez went the distance, surrendering just two runs on four hits while fanning eight, picking up her 50th win in program history.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Saint Mary's (39-14, 14-3 WCC) hit the scoreboard first in the top of the second. Braxton Brown worked a one out seven pitch walk to start things off, and was advanced to second on a groundout by Andrea De La Rosa. Earning her first start of the series, Tori Cervantes ripped a double down the left field line, scoring brown, then came in to score on a Taylor Lane single back up the middle.

The 2-0 lead was short lived, as the Broncos (26-24, 11-6 WCC) punched back in the bottom half with the first four batters reaching, resulting in a pair of runs. Alex Cutonilli made a spectacular unassisted double play on a line drive up the middle, keeping the game level at two apiece.

From that point on, Odhi Vasquez was truly dominant, facing just two over the minimum over the next five innings. In the fifth and sixth innings, Santa Clara would put the go-ahead run in scoring position, but each time, Vasquez would record a strikeout.

In the top of the seventh, Lauren Tran led off the frame being hit by a pitch in her pinch hit appearance, and Camille Lara would slap a single up the first base line. That brought up Hannah Ferguson, who planted her feet and sent a ball back up the middle, scoring Mia Zabat (who re-entered for Tran) to give the Gaels the lead once again. All that was left was for Vasquez to slam the door shut, and she did that in emphatic fashion, striking out the side in order to punch the Gaels ticket to regionals.

GAME NOTES

With tonight's win, Saint Mary's secured its second ever outright WCC Softball title, and punched its ticket to its third NCAA Regional in program history.
Odhi Vasquez went the distance in the victory, adding to her program record with her 50th victory in the circle. The win was her 19th this season, second most in single season program history.
All three Gael runs were driven in by four or five year veterans, Tori Cervantes, Taylor Lane and Hannah Ferguson.
Ferguson extended her team-best hit streak to 11 straight games, while Sam Buckley extended her streak to 10 straight games.
Cervantes was the lone Gael to record multiple hits, good for her fourth multi-hit game of the season.
Lane drove in her 94th career run, moving into fourth place all-time in program history.
The Gaels improved to 30-4 when scoring first in contests this year.