HONOLULU –  Santa Clara softball picked up their first win of the season in the second game of the day at the Bank of Hawai'i Paradise Classic on Friday beating Southern Indiana 9-0, after dropping the first game to Saint Louis 4-3. 

Saint Louis 4 - Santa Clara 3

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Saint Louis (1-1) scored two runs in the top of the seventh to take the lead and Taylor Hochman threw five scoreless innings in relief in the Billikens 4-3 win.  
• The Billikens bookended their scoring with a pair of runs in the first and the seventh innings where they got four of the five hits and drew four of the five walks against Santa Clara hurler Cari Ferguson to spoil the freshman's collegiate debut.  
• Santa Clara (0-2) held a 3-2 lead heading into the top of the seventh with Ferguson in firm control having allowed just one hit after the opening frame.  In the seventh, she retired the leadoff batter but loaded the bases on a single and a couple of walks.  Natalie Sullivan tied the game up at 3-all with a fielder's choice RBI and Jane Kaniecki followed with the go ahead RBI.  
• In the first inning, Ferguson gave up two runs on a pair of walks and hits to go along with a Bronco error.  However, she struck out Chloe Rhine to get end the inning.  It was the start of retiring the next nine batters including seven on strikeouts.  
• Ferguson had a strong outing where she allowed five hits, four runs, three of which were earned, walked five and struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings.  
• The Broncos got all their runs in the third off starter Anna Christ.  Trailing 2-0, Cairah Curran led off the inning with a single and came home on Rebecca Rubio's triple to the left center gap.  Hope Alley brought home Rubio with a single to tie the game at 2-all, followed by a single by Hazyl Gray and an error on the play by the center fielder to allow Alley to score to give SCU a 3-2 lead.  
• Hazyl Gray and Marie Martorella each had two hits for the Broncos as did Kaniecki for the Billikens.  

Santa Clara 9 - Southern Indiana 0

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Hazyl Gray and Kendal Manley threw a combined shutout and the Santa Clara (1-2) bats came alive for 12 hits in the 9-0 win over Southern Indiana (1-1).  
• Cairah Curran went 5-for-5 to lead the Bronco offensive attack.  She led off the third inning with a double down the left field line and came home on Kyla Acres' 2-RBI double.  Lauren Bryson followed with an RBI single to give the Broncos a 3-0 lead.  
• Manley started in the circle and gave up two hits and a walk over 2 1/3 innings before Gray came in relief with two runners on base.  Gray struck out the first batter she faced but issued a walk to load the bases before getting Mumaw to foul out to preserve the three run lead.    
• In 4 2/3 innings of work, Gray allowed two runs and two walks with four strikeouts to pick up the win.  
• Santa Clara would tack on a run each in the fourth, fifth, sixth innings and added three more in the seventh. 
• Rebecca Rubio and Acres drove in two runs apiece while pinch hitter Taryn Clements, Bryson and Curran had an RBI. 
• Curran also scored three times.   
• Whitley Hunter was the losing pitcher of record giving up four runs on eight hits over four innings.  

NOTES:

• Curran became the fifth Bronco to have five hits in a game since 2000 and the first to do so since 2023 when All-American Ashley Trierweiler had two such games.  

NEXT UP:

• Santa Clara will play two more games on Saturday but the opponents and the game times will be determined later on Friday evening when the rest of the tournament games are played out.  

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