LOS ANGELES – Hazyl Gray slugged three home runs to help Santa Clara softball pick up their first West Coast Conference win of the season before the Broncos fell in the second game to split the doubleheader against LMU on Saturday.  Santa Clara won the first game 14-12 and dropped the second game 5-2. 

Game 1: Santa Clara 14 - LMU 12

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Santa Clara (22-17, 1-1 WCC) outslugged LMU (19-22, 2-4 WCC) 14-12 behind Gray's three home run, five RBI day.  The Broncos scored at least one run in every inning except the sixth while the Lions had three innings of scoring at least three or more runs. 
• Gray became the first Santa Clara player since at least 2000 to hit three round-trippers in a game, hitting a pair of two-run shots in each of the opening two innings and blasted a solo shot in the seventh.  She finished 3-for-5 with five RBIs and three runs scored.
• In the first, Gray sent the first pitch she saw from Jessica Hubbard over the left field fence to put the Broncos up 2-0.  Her second homer put the Broncos back into the lead at 6-5, this time depositing it over the right field fence.  
• Gray also started inside the circle but gave up six runs in two innings with just two of them being earned. 
• The Broncos took the lead for good in the third.  With the game knotted at 6-all, Robynn Balmediano and Cairah Curran singled in a run each to put the Broncos up 8-6.  It was Balmediano's third RBI of the game as she went 2-for-4.
• In the top of the fifth, Abigail Charpentier went deep to push the lead out to 13-6 and Gray added an insurance run in the seventh with a solo shot to right.
• LMU (19-22, 2-4 WCC) matched the Broncos hit total with 11 of their own.  The bottom half of the Lions lineup did much of the damage driving in nine runs led by Val Pero with four. 
• Mika Chong, Sakora Harvell and Jasmine Sofowora each had two hits. 
• Sage Hager (3-0) who came in relief of Gray picked up the win and Avery Seva was credited with her third save of the season. 
• Lindsay O'Dell (4-8) was the losing pitcher of record. 
• Nine of the 22 total hits went for extra base hits as all four of Santa Clara's left the yard. 

Game 2: LMU 5 - Santa Clara 2

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Savannah Hooks pitched a four-hit complete game and the top three hitters in the LMU lineup drove in all five runs in the Lions 5-2 win.
• Mika Chong and Izzy Jamgotchian each homered while Arianna Jaurequi doubled in a run in the first four innings, all against Broncos starter Alaina Valdez, to give the Lions (20-22, 3-4 WCC), a 5-0 lead. 
• Hooks (3-3) held the Broncos scoreless through five frames.  She walked one and struck out seven to pick up her third win of the year. 
• Santa Clara (22-18, 1-2 WCC) scratched out two runs in the sixth against Hooks when they loaded the bases on singles by Cairah Curran and Abigail Charpentier sandwiching a walk to Morgan Salmon.  Curran scored on a wild pitch and Clements grounded out to push a run across.
• Valdez dropped her record to 4-4. 

• Santa Clara and LMU close out the four-game series on Sunday starting at noon PT.